


To Boldly Go

by TrishaCollins



Category: Animorphs - Katherine A. Applegate
Genre: Gen, Rachel gets infested, Rape and forced pregnancy and abortion are discussed, The Yeerks escape on the Blade Ship, Tom and Rachel Survive, but mostly a recovery fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-02
Updated: 2019-02-02
Packaged: 2019-10-21 01:57:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 35,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17633903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrishaCollins/pseuds/TrishaCollins
Summary: Rachel hesitates in killing Tom, just for a moment. Crayak makes a different choice for his pieces, the Blade Ship leaves earth's orbit intact.





	To Boldly Go

< Sorry, Tom. >

 

She lifted him to her mouth, and he sighed somewhere internally, relieved.

 

It was over. It was finally going to be over. After everything, after all of the betrayals and suffering, it was finally done. She had nothing to be sorry for.

 

< I understand, Sunshine, its ok. >

 

She hesitated, just for a moment. It wouldn’t have mattered any other time, but that moment. That specific moment mattered more than anything else.

 

He thought he heard something cackle inside his head, something that sounded nothing like Iniss, or like anything else that should have been in his head.

 

< Not yet, I think. Our piece, our choice. >

 

There was a flash of light that scrambled the inside of his brain enough that the next thing he was conscious of was Iniss crouching next to Rachel, one hand resting against her cheek.

 

She must have demorphed on reflex.

 

< Nonononononononononono. >

 

The bridge was in ruins, but the Yeerks were in human form again.

 

“Thank you for the present, Jake. I know just who I will give her to.” Iniss drew his face into a practiced smirk, lifting his head to look at the screen. “Your guns are disabled, now.”  
  
Jack was pale, his lips pressed into a bloodless line.

 

“Should I wait, let you watch her be infested?” Iniss was confident, now, none of his earlier terror showing.

 

He had rendered the watching Animorphs wordless.

 

He sobbed and screamed and shouted internally, but nothing made it past the mask Iniss had crafted.

 

Iniss smirked, Jake seemed to be caught somewhere between fury and being sick.

 

Iniss waited another moment, giving Jake time to gather a response, when his brother seemed unable he gave the Yeerk standing at the zspace controls the signal.

 

Earth vanished, and with it all hope of rescue.

 

***  
  
He didn’t know how long it had been.

 

He had lost track of Earth time, had lost track of everything, even the scattered moments of almost clarity that was feedings. They drugged the morph capable to keep them from trying anything, but most were too sick of heart to try.

 

The drugs fogged his head to the point he didn’t always remember that Iniss had left.

 

He opened his eyes.

 

It was a very strange thing to do, opening his eyes. He had almost forgotten how it felt to do so. But he did.

 

Rachel lay on the floor a few feet away, hair hacked short. She looked like a dandelion. He hadn’t seen a dandelion in a very long time. There were earth plants on board, but the gardens were so carefully tended and chosen.

 

There was nothing extraneous.

 

She opened her eyes, and he could see that the fact that she had shocked her just as much as it had shocked him.

 

She had been dangerous, once.

 

Had he ever been a threat to the Yeerks?

 

Her lips curled into something that in some other life might have been called a smile.

 

She reached out her hand, and he found himself reaching back automatically. Strange that he still had reflexes.

 

Iniss never held anyone’s hand.

 

Her fingers squeezed around his, and he tried to echo the smile.

 

He wanted to say that she looked like a dandelion. He wanted to tell her about teaching Sara to blow the fluff to make a wish, and how warm and bright and real that memory felt, no matter how distant it was now. He wanted to tell her that it was nice to see her, even here. That he had missed her, and Jake, and his parents, and her sisters. He had missed so much.

 

Instead he held her hand, and tried to remember how to smile, and after awhile they both fell asleep again.

 

***  
  
He woke up again, easier this time, his hand still holding Rachel’s. Or had they left and found their way back to this place? He didn’t remember leaving, but sometimes he blanked on large stretches of time.

 

Space was exciting and boring, with little to do between the exciting bits. He couldn’t read, he couldn’t do anything to fill the gaps, so often he went away in his head and left Iniss to do whatever Yeerks did in spare time.

 

With Iniss, it was often video games.

 

He blinked a few times, slowly pushing himself into a seated position.

 

Rachel grumbled faintly, rolling over and away from him.

 

He watched her for a moment, puzzled, and turned his attention to the door.

 

There were normally guards, but the Hork-Bajir were crouched, one leaning against the other. Asleep?

 

When he stood up one of them moved, jerking sideways as though he had scared it.

 

Weird.

 

“Rachel.” His voice sounded odd, deeper than he remembered it, tired. “Rachel, wake up, something is happening.”  
  
The other Hork-Bajir stumbled to its feet, making its halting way to the door.

 

It opened the door, leaning forward to peer at him. “Yeerk gone.”

 

“Gone? What do you mean, gone?” Rachel was sitting up now, raking her fingers through her hair until it stood up in spikes.

 

It made her look more like a dandelion; he felt himself smile and barely managed to not start laughing at her. His normally poised cousin, dressed in the drab, grey uniform the Yeerks preferred, with bedhead. 

 

“Gone.”   
  
“All of them?” Nothing moved beyond the cell, there were no Yeerks patrolling, the lights were flickering oddly, and everything seemed quiet.

 

It took him a moment to realize the engines had stopped.

 

They were dead in space.

 

“No. In pool.” The Hork-Bajir must have been around too many humans, because it shrugged, helpless to explain.

 

He smiled reassuringly, though he felt just as anxious as they probably did. “Can you do me a favor?”

 

The other Hork-Bajir made an odd moaning sound, but the standing-female; she was a female – nodded quickly.

 

“Go find everyone you can and bring them to the main meeting room, if they’re in the cells, let them out. Keep an eye on the voluntaries. Don’t kill any Yeerks you find, just dump them in the pool.”

 

Rachel was giving him an odd look from the floor.

 

He offered her a hand up.

 

She took it after a moment, her fingers tightening briefly.

 

The female nodded quickly. “Yes. When?”

 

“Just start gathering people, we’re going to do the same. I guess the meeting will start when we’re all gathered.” Which was the least specific he could possibly be, but it was the best he could do.

 

Something had knocked their power out; the only lights on in the halls were the emergency lighting. They were disabled; the Yeerks were gone, except for those in the pool.

 

Something had happened. Something that might result in them getting blown up before they figured it out if they didn’t get the engines back up.

 

He gave the Hork-Bajir another reassuring, closed lipped smile. “Thank you.”

 

Rachel trailed him, glancing back over her shoulder at the two Hork-Bajir. “What’s going on?”

 

He shook his head. “I don’t know, but I intend to find out. The bridge is set to record any communication, so if someone hailed us before they attacked that should give us a starting point.”

 

They were Iniss’s thoughts, not his. It had been too long since he had any sort of autonomy; he needed to think this though, to act like Iniss would. The Yeerk might be an asshole, but he was a clever asshole, and a born survivor.

 

He needed to survive.

 

For all he knew the Yeerks would come back at any second.

 

There were no guarantees.

 

Rachel was quiet behind him, giving him a strange, intent look.

 

He ignored her for the moment, focused on his goal. They needed to get the engines back on, and the systems back to operational. The emergency systems would only last them for so long.

 

***  
  
There was nothing on the long range scanners. Nothing that indicated that another ship had approached them, nothing to indicate what had knocked them out.

 

That worried him more. The engines came back online with minimal effort, but not knowing the cause meant it could happen again.

 

He’d asked a few of the groggy former hosts what they thought, but nobody seemed to have a clear memory of what had happened.

 

He’d sent them to the meeting room, hoping the Hork-Bajir could keep everything together until they got back down there.

 

And then what, Tom? That was the real question. What was he going to do? There were a hundred and twenty seven humans, fourteen Hork-Bajir, and six Gedd on board. That last note he had remembered was that they were so deeply in unknown space that they were literally flying blind.

 

So what were they going to do?

 

“Can you fly this thing?”

 

He glanced up at Rachel, fingers still dancing over the counsel as he brought the systems back online. Life support, green. Anti-grav, green. Engines, green. Waste processing, green. “In theory? Iniss did a lot of training simulations in my body, Temrash did even more. They were still figuring out human reaction times, so I got to be a test dummy for awhile. In practice, I’ve never flown a blade ship before. Just a few Bugs.”

 

She leaned over the edge of the desk, watching his hands move. “You seem to know what you’re doing.”

 

He laughed, and the sound startled them both enough that they jumped. “In a turnaround, I’m relying on Iniss’s memories right now. He knows what to do in this situation, I don’t. So. You know. If I start smirking at everyone, kick me.”

 

She smiled, shaking her head a little bit. “Back there, you reminded me of Jake.”

 

He smiled, unable to help himself. “Maybe he reminds you of me, you know. I am the big brother.” False bravado, she would see through it, but maybe this once she would let him have it.

 

“Sure, right. Do you know where we are?”

 

Scanners, green. Shields, green. All systems go for launch, captain. He glanced down at his screens. “Somewhere nobody else in the known galaxy has ever been. Not the Andalites, not the Yeerks. Iniss was running, running as fast and as far as he could as far from anyone who knew him as he could get. There are two planets on our long range scanners, but I’ll need to see if anyone has any transferable skills to reading these things. I can’t tell if they’re safe for us.”

 

She nodded. “So, meeting. How do you think this will go?”

 

He shrugged. “The Hork-Bajir are probably the most useful. There are a lot more humans; twenty-six of them are voluntaries. So we’ll need to make sure they don’t turn and bite us.”

 

Twelve of them were kids, toddlers. Born after they left earth.

 

Iniss had been planning ahead.

 

Twelve people who wouldn’t be able to help and could become a target.

 

Rachel gave a tiny shudder, trying just as hard as he was to play at being normal. “Ugh, voluntaries. Can we just space them?”

 

His lips twitched, but he shook his head. “We’re going to need everyone on this boat, maybe even the Yeerks if we can figure out what removed them. Hopefully someone will know.”

 

She grumbled faintly, raking her fingers through her hair again.

 

“You look silly.”

 

She made a face at him, which just enhanced the effect. “I’m millions of miles from the nearest mall, if you want me dressed to impress we’re going to need to go somewhere that the seasonal color isn’t grey and the fashion doesn’t lean towards one size fits most bodysuits.”

 

He laughed softly, running a systems check to make sure everything was back online.

 

She watched him work, tugging at the sleeves of her jumpsuit. “So what’s our course, Captain?”

 

He finished the scan, setting the autopilot to alert him if anything appeared on their scanners. “Now, we go meet and greet and figure out where we’re going next.”

 

Rachel wrinkled her nose. “Earth, I hope.”

 

He hoped too, but he didn’t know how to get back. “We’re a scout ship, Rach. We’ll need to figure out where we are and what’s going on before we can chart that course.”

 

She sighed dramatically, pretending again.

 

He smiled and reached for her hand.

 

It was easier, this time, when she reached back.

 

 

***  
  
The room was crowded, but quiet. He didn’t have time to count, but he assumed the Hork-Bajir had done as he asked.   
  
He hoped she had, anyway.

 

She moved from the tiny grouping of her people. He let go of Rachel’s hand, stepping forward. “I didn’t catch your name earlier.”

 

She faltered, head bobbing with some uncertainty. They had always reminded him of birds. “Sera. Tomi is the other.”

 

He bowed slightly. “Thank you for your assistance, Sera. I appreciate it greatly.”

 

She hummed with pleasure, bobbing her head again, relaxing. “Happy to.”

 

“I might need you and your friends, will you be willing to help?”

 

The look she gave him was so full of fierce pride; she almost preened beneath the words. “We will help.”   
  
He smiled. “Thank you.”

 

The hosts were gathered in lose circles, people who knew each other. There were a few avoiding contact, the nervous twitches giving them away as collaborators.

 

He took it in, thinking, trying to decide what to do next.

 

“Tom!”

 

Rachel made a strangled sound behind him as Melissa jumped up from her seat, crossing the room in quick steps to throw her arms around him.

 

He smiled, bracing himself and returning the hug. “Hi, Lissa. You ok?”

 

She nodded briefly, reaching past him to catch Rachel’s hand, squeezing it tightly. “Better than I have been in awhile, I woke up this morning without a Yeerk in my head. Do you know what’s going on?”

 

He shook his head. “No ideas yet. None of the Yeerks are in their hosts, now if they’re in the pool or dust caught in the air filters I don’t know yet. There was nothing on the scanners, nothing that hailed us, nothing that showed up as attacking us.”

 

She frowned faintly, head tilted. “Islin was in my head, and then she wasn’t. We were dreaming. There was nothing, no alarm, no indication that she was leaving. I was just unconscious in my bed until the Hork-Bajir came for us.”

 

He turned slightly, but Rachel only shook her head. “We were both in the cells, feeding time. We probably have less of a clue…”

 

Melissa shook her head, hand squeezing his arm. “The ship isn’t damaged?”

 

He was aware, suddenly, that the entire room was watching them. “I ran a diagnostics. Everything is running within normal parameters. The engines started easily, the life support is fine.”

 

Some of the tension faded from a few, though a few of the voluntaries looked even worse.

 

Melissa turned slightly, still holding him. “What are we doing now?”

 

“Chart a course for Earth, right?” None of the people Iniss had chosen had been old when they started, but youth had been something quickly burned out of the hosts. She was likely no older than thirty, but the woman who had spoken was hunched with premature age.

 

“No. We hold our course.” That came from one of the voluntaries, his eyes narrowed.

 

The woman hunched further in on herself.

 

There was silence in the room, the gathered people shifting uneasily. The problem had been spoken, the factions had been declared.

 

He kept waiting for someone to speak up, to take charge. But nobody did.

 

Melissa turned to him, her eyes full of questions.

 

He didn’t know the answers. He didn’t know where to start.

 

Tom glanced between them, taking a deep breath. “We really can’t do either. We’re deep in unknown space. We don’t know where they were going or what they intended to gain; we also don’t know how to get home. First we need to figure out what happened, then we need to discover where we are.”

 

Everyone was looking at him now, and it was all he could manage not to shrink back.

 

“Right now, putting the Yeerks back in their hosts isn’t a viable option.” Melissa shifted, and he found himself looking at her, speaking directly to her rather than to the room at large. “When we find the solution to that problem, then those who choose can have their Yeerks back.”

 

Some of the voluntaries relaxed, though a few of the other former hosts looked nervous.

 

“What we really need to do right now is figure out what attacked us and get out of this area that we’re in. We also need someone capable of reading vital scans, there are two planets close. Jeff, your Yeerk was in charge of supplies? How are we doing?”

 

The man blinked, shrinking down in his seat as the attention of the room shifted to him. He made a low, almost animal panicked noise before the woman next to him leaned over and whispered something to him. “Ah-yeah-well-you see the Blade Ship, it’s no pool ship. But we’re barely 200 and there are only 300 yeerks in the hold, counting the new ones, if we didn’t lose any. So. Yeah. It’s no pool ship, but it’s outfitted to take like…you know…eight…nine hundred maybe without any crowding, but we’ve got the supplies for about twelve. The replicates are meant to recycle everything and when the Sub-Visser outfitted it he fit it for humans, so yeah. We could last awhile, no new inputs. The gardens need to be tended, but that’s what the Gedd do. Yeah?” Jeff sank further into his chair, grimacing. “Least, that’s what I think. No idea if I’m right till I look at the specs. Joycey can tell you if the planets are habitable. She’s a scientist, on earth. Scientist for Yeerks too.”

 

The woman gave him a long suffering look, but patted his leg. “I can take a look at the scans; see if anything is suitable for us to touch down briefly. I worked for NASA before I was infested.” Her lips twitched. “After I was infested as well. But I know how to do it.”

 

He nodded, looking at Melissa.

 

“I can do medical. I have a few people I can either work with or retrain.” She smiled reassuringly. “We’ll need a full bridge crew, won’t we?”

 

He nodded, glancing around the room. “Who has experience or feels comfortable enough with what they know?”

 

A few hands went up. He counted, calculating mentally. “We need at least twelve more. Anyone willing to learn?”

 

More hands drifted up.

 

He smiled at the room at large. “Thank you. We’re only going to make it home if we work together here. So I need everyone giving it their best effort. We’ll break into shifts, to spread the work around. No sense in trying to cling to a normal day this far out in space. Anyone who has prior medical experience or wants to learn, report to Melissa. Anyone who is volunteering for bridge crew, come with me. We’ll go over the basics.” He hesitated, glancing at the Gedd. “Will you help us?”

 

The largest of the small group looked surprised, squinting at him. His accent was terrible, but the surprise was obvious. “<I>Will</i> we?”

 

“I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to do. But you are more experienced, I am sure, with some of the inner workings of this ship. Will you help to train some of those who may show the ability?”

 

The Gedd continued to squint at him. “We will not take Yeerks back.”

 

He shook his head. “I will not ask that of anyone. Regardless of how much aid you supply.”

 

The Gedd nodded after a moment. “We will show them.”

 

He smiled, inkling his head faintly. “Thank you. So, anyone who has engineering experience or wants to learn, report to-I’m sorry, your name?”

 

The Gedd made a low, harsh sound that it took him a moment to recognize as laughter. “Am’il.”

 

He smiled. “Everyone with engineering report to Am’il, and if you give Am’il any trouble you will get to report to Rachel afterwards. Anyone with security experience or who wants to learn anything they didn’t know about morphing, report to Rachel.” He glanced around the room, feeling more confident than he had in decades. “Any questions?”  
  
He was satisfied to note that everyone, including the voluntaries, looked satisfied with their options.

 

Melissa gave his arm an approving squeeze, and when he turned to look at Rachel she was smiling at him.

 

*****  
  
By the time he made it back to his quarters, he was exhausted. The temptation to shower was there, but he was almost afraid he would fall asleep under the spray. It wouldn’t cause any problems, as the water was all recycled in ways that made his head hurt if he thought about it too long, but the grating sounded like an unpleasant way to sleep.

 

The room belonged to Iniss, which meant it was designed with his body in mind. It was private, and quiet, and had an impressive view of the stars that he knew the Yeerk liked as much as he did.

 

Nobody could ever say that Iniss hadn’t indulged himself.

 

He stripped off his boots, dropping them in the corner. His clothes were tossed in the hamper, the strange device that would have them washed, dried, and pressed by the morning.

 

Many things the Yeerks bothered with were automated. Some of them were automated in fascinating ways; others were just odd and lazy.

 

The Yeerks were very lazy, for all that they despised the Andalites, they shared their contempt for ‘lower’ races.

 

He flopped into the bed, glad for once that Iniss was a prick who loved to be comfortable.

 

That was the last thought he had before he fell asleep, exhaustion closing around him like a wave.

 

He fell immediately into a dream.

 

Iniss had no tolerance for nightmares, not for his sake, but because his distress distracted the Yeerk. The moment his brain took a frightening turn, Iniss would wake him up.

 

But for the first time in nearly two decades, he was alone in his head.

 

There was nothing to interrupt the dream.

 

His leg was moving wrong, the water in his lungs made breathing difficult, but he was trying, struggling to live. Iniss had retreated to a distant point in the back of his head, as far from his pain as the Yeerk could get.

 

He cried, because it hurt, because everything since Grandpa G had died had hurt, because nothing had been right in so long that there was nothing he could do but sob.

 

He was going to die. He was absolutely sure of that. If the injury didn’t kill him, if he didn’t drown, the Yeerks would kill him eventually.

 

He knew his fate.

 

He wasn’t going to survive this war.

 

“Tom!” Jake leaned over him, eyes big with concern and guilt.

 

No not Jake. “Go away!” <i>IloveyoustayawayI’llgetyoukilled.</i> “Get out of here, Midget, go away and leave me alone.”

 

Jake leaned a little closer, hand gripping his shoulder. “No. I don’t think so.”

 

He whimpered, trying to gather the strength to order him away again.

 

Jake’s hand tightened on his shoulder, painful. His fingers felt sharp and strange. “I’m sorry, Tom.”  
  
He stared at his brother, confused and hurting.

 

Jake was morphing, stripes of fur darkening his skin, face distorting and stretching out.

 

<i>Run.</i>

 

Every step was agony, but he did. He ran. He tried to remember how to morph, some other form he could take, but his brain was fogged by nearly drowning and his leg was distracting him utterly from rational thought.

 

Behind him, he could hear the tiger stalking him. Slow, measured steps. The big cat was in no hurry.

 

No matter how quickly he tried to run, the tiger would find him. He was the prey, and Jake was the hunter.

 

The only thing he could do was run. Iniss was gone; the cold analytical thoughts that normally would have guided him were gone, now there was only his fragile human intellect.

 

He was no match for the tiger.

 

He turned, finding himself cornered against the ruins of the cabin, staring at the hunting cat as it stalked him.

 

The tiger pounced.

 

He buried the nazi dagger in his brother’s heart.

 

He jerked awake, muffling the screams in his hands. The lights had turned on automatically when he moved.

 

He shuddered, almost expecting his hands to be sticky with blood, but they were only soaked with sweat.

 

His entire body was soaked, the shirt and pants he’d worn to bed sticking to his body.

 

He stripped off the shirt and threw it against the wall. The feeling was too close to the memory of almost drowning. He had been damp for hours.

 

He felt disgusting, and there was no way he would be able to face the crew like this.

 

He pushed away the lingering fog of the nightmare, climbing out of bed and limping to the shower. He was entirely unsurprised that his leg had chosen now to act up.

 

In the hot water, he could try not to think. He could try to push it away.

 

Forget the face of his brother morphing into the face of a killer; forget the tacky feel of blood on his hands.

 

It was almost enough to make him miss the Yeerk.

 

***  
  
Rachel put her tray down across the table from him. He grunted a faint greeting, staring at his coffee cup.

 

“Huh. What’s wrong, Captain? Not enough beauty sleep?” She buttered her toast, eying the butter speculatively with more interest than she seemed to be giving him.

 

“Don’t call me that.”

 

For some reason, that made Rachel laugh. He gave her a speculative look, taking a few long drinks of his coffee.

 

All of the hot water available to him couldn’t entirely scrub away the lingering memories of the nightmare, but it had helped a little.

 

“Why is Rachel laughing?”

 

He looked up at Melissa, gesturing to his cousin with the cup. “I think they put opiates in the butter again. Or at least, that’s the best I can figure.”

 

Melissa blinked, the side of her mouth twitching as though she wanted to smile, but wasn’t entirely certain it was appropriate.

 

“He sounds exactly like Jake, that’s why.” Rachel grinned at both of them, taking a defiant bite of her toast.

 

He raised his eyebrow, curling around his mug.

 

Rachel shrugged. “He ended up the leader by default too.”

 

“There is no “too”, Rachel. I can barely lead myself to the shower in the morning. You’re the one with more experience.” He stabbed one of the eggs, not allowing himself to rabbit hole after the food replicators. He knew, sort of, how most things worked. But thinking about it just made him not want to eat.

 

“Except for I’ve tried that before, with a smaller group and I sucked at it.” She shrugged. “You’re the one that took charge, and everyone listened. Guess what, that means you’re in charge.”

 

He looked to Melissa for help, but she just smiled at him, sipping her tea.

 

He grumbled at his coffee, bowing his head to eat rather than look at either of the women.

 

“Though really, what’s bothering you? You look like slightly warmed over death.” Rachel tilted her head, and he resisted the urge to try to shift the conversation to her hair and if she was going to grow it back out.

 

“First time in a long time I’ve slept alone in my head.” He shrugged. “Nightmares are to be expected, I think.”

 

Melissa made a sympathetic noise, and Rachel gave him a sad look.

 

The moment passed quickly, and Melissa leaned forward. “I think everyone who has stepped forward is willing to work, even the voluntaries. Once we get them trained, I don’t think we will have any problems. I’ve absorbed enough to keep control of the medical wing.” She glanced at Rachel, questioning.

 

“I got almost everyone else; not very many went to learn from the Gedd. We might need to keep an eye on that. They’re not used to handling aliens as equals, but as enemies.” Rachel was frowning slightly. “Anyway, mostly what I was working on was getting people comfortable with morphing. Most of them have never done it for themselves before. We might also think about changing the uniform.” She tugged at the drab, grey jumpsuit everyone wore. “I know we’re not exactly on the catwalk, but this is depressing. It might help people some to add some color back into their wardrobes. It’s…getting back to normal.”

 

He nodded faintly, not opposed to the suggestion.

 

Melissa stirred her oatmeal, thoughtful. “I think it would help as well. It’s claiming something back, making the ship a bit more ours. It might be good for morale.”

 

Rachel smiled, clearly pleased with herself.

 

“Sure, we can do that. I think the replicators can be reprogrammed? That might be an Am’il question; it’s not something I have done before.”

 

“For clothes? Yes.” The Gedd settled on the table, settling a plate of earth fruits in front of him.

 

“Good morning, Am’il.” He nodded politely, studying the plate curiously. It hadn’t been until that moment that he even wondered what Gedd ate.

 

“Good morning, Thom.” The Gedd smiled brightly, taking a quick bite of the plum from the plate. “Rachel speaks the truth. They do not wish to learn from me. Friend Sera sees the same.”

 

Melissa was peering at the tiny creature as well. “We can work on that. The only aliens they have experience with are the Yeerks, who imprisoned them and the Andalites, who left them to their fates. The others get dismissed easily as fellow victims.”

 

Am’il spat to the side. “The Andalites. The Gedd were sacrifices, not sentient enough to be saved. We remember Serrow’s kindness a different way.”

 

He grimaced faintly. “We share that, humans, Gedd, Hork-Bajir. The Andalites are busybodies. The Yeerks may do harm, but the Andalites cause more destruction in the end.”

 

Rachel was quiet, picking at her food.

 

“Just so, friend Thom.” Am’il smiled again, eating the fruit.

 

Melissa was quiet for a moment, turning herself to study the Gedd. “I know very little about your people. I admit that I have not given the Gedd much thought. Can you tell me anything about your race? I would like to learn.” She indicated his plate. “For example, are you vegetarians? Are you male, or female?”

 

Am’il settled on its haunches. “On our home world, we ate fruit, bugs. Earth is better, brighter, offers more.” The creature smiled, almost sly. “I am male. Four of my fellows are female; the other is a young male. One is pregnant. If she gives birth, they will be the first young not born to Yeerks in many generations.”

 

Melissa nodded. “Will she require help?”

 

Am’il shook his head. “She will know.”

 

That seemed to settle the question, the Gedd happily busying himself with the fruit.

 

“How long do you think it will take to train everyone?” Rachel was picking apart her bread, staring at the crumbs.

 

“It’s not really teaching them, it’s dusting off their memories. I think some will manage it better than others.” He glanced at Melissa, she reached for a datapad.

 

“I think we need to keep an eye on those few that didn’t step forward for a task. They may need more help than we think, even if they’re being quiet. All of the voluntaries are making themselves useful, but these eight are normal circulation, morph capable, and doing nothing.” Her fingers danced over the pad, bringing up profiles. “The youngest was ten when he was infested. He’s eighteen now. He’s not stepping forward in any case, and when I’ve tried to engage him he just gives me a blank look.”

 

He nodded, focusing on the faces, listening to her explanations.

 

They had a long way to go. It was a start, but getting people retrained was only half of the problem.

 

***  
  
The uniform thing took off in ways he hadn’t expected. There seemed to be a lively debate about what everyone wanted to wear, but even the voluntaries seemed to agree that “not this” was high on the list.

 

It was how he ended up carrying a sketchbook and doodling most of the time he wasn’t working with the command crew or on shift.

 

Rachel seemed amused by it, Am’il seemed tolerant of human things, Sera had looked faintly confused but agreed that it made the humans happy, and Melissa had thrown herself into petitioning for people too scared to speak up wholeheartedly.

 

“No red.” He noted absently as he worked.

 

“Is that one of those things you and Jake would agree on?” Rachel looked up from her pile of fabrics.

 

“Yes, Trek thing. Though I think by being on this ship we’re already violating the prime directive.”

 

Melissa snorted. “Earth doesn’t have one yet. Besides, the Yeerks invaded, aren’t there exceptions?”

 

“I dunno. They never went into that. But Earth probably has laws about it by now. We know the Andalites do.” He continued sketching, half curled around the book. “We need to think about how to identify the Hork-Bajir as well. Arm bands maybe?”

 

Sera blinked from the floor. She was too big to fit on the human sized benches. Her solution had been to push one of the other tables back to give herself space. “We would wear.”

 

He smiled. “What about…white for medical, green for engineering, blue for security, and yellow for command?”

 

Rachel and Melissa exchanged long looks, the conversation made up entirely of facial expression.

 

Am’il shifted forward on his elbows to peer at the notebook. “These are also for the Gedd?”

 

He nodded, letting Am’il take the book.

 

“What are we going to put the civilians and kids in?” Melissa reached for the book when Am’il offered it.

 

“Blank grey, maybe? Or a lighter color that indicates they aren’t combatants. Alternately they could just wear what they want. Am’il has been programming the clothing replicators to accept a wider range of patterns.” He settled his chin in his hands.

 

Melissa tapped the image. “What this badge?”

 

He felt his cheeks heat, ducking his head a bit. “I was thinking about naming the ship. So I was doodling ideas for what it might be called. Not the Bladeship, it’s ours. It needs more personality than that.”

 

Melissa smiled reassuringly. “The badge looks interesting. Those are the planets in our solar system, aren’t they? A piece of the night sky? What names were you thinking of?”

 

He nodded, wishing he hadn’t included the idle doodling. “Well, we could go really boring and go with like…Earth 1. Since that’s what we are. But I was thinking…” He trailed off, uncomfortable with sharing the idea.

 

Rachel snorted. “It can’t be worse than “Animorphs”. Marco just made up a word.”

 

He laughed softly. “I was thinking maybe…‘The Odyssey.’ Since that’s what we’re doing.”

 

Am’il made a long, thoughtful noise. “We are travelers. I like. It is an earth word, but not one that is solely tied to earth.”

 

Sera nodded.

 

Melissa smiled. “I like it. Though I hope the ten years counts the time we’ve already served.”

 

He relaxed, watching the girls pass the notepad back and forth.

 

***  
  
He woke up in the middle of the ‘night’, aware only that the light had changed, and that something had woken him.

 

He didn’t move, eyes closed, listening to the room at large. His fingers rippled with the start of a morph.

 

“You don’t need to be afraid.” The voice was gentle, but seemed to make it impossible for him to be afraid.

 

He swallowed nervously, opening his eyes and sitting up. The morph faded, slotting back into the back of his mind.

 

There was a man sitting at his desk, a man he had never seen before, which should have been impossible because they were in space, nowhere near a planet. There would have been an alert if something had come close enough to board them.

 

“I do not rely on spaceships, Tom.”

 

He shivered, folding back the blankets and putting his feet on the floor. “You’re a mind reader.”

 

“I am the Ellimist.” The old man smiled. “I mean you no harm.”  
  
He narrowed his eyes, but said nothing. A glowing blue old man appearing in his room in the middle of the night. What else could he be here for?

 

“To answer a question.” The Eliminst smiled.

 

He felt himself relaxing, though he didn’t really want to. “What question?”

 

“Why.”

 

He flinched, feeling his breath catch. “Why what? There are a lot of whys I wonder about.” He rubbed his hands against his leg.

 

For a moment the old man looked sad.

 

He looked away, focusing past the room to the windows.

 

“I found it amazing that you loved space, when so much that harmed you came from the stars.” The words were gentle, but the man set forward. “Your survival was assured by Rachel’s, but like your cousin, you were a wild card. A piece activated in the game we did not know what would do. A piece that we were unsure of, but that we could only watch. What that has done is taking you into a part of space that is hostile for Yeerks. They were removed before they could be destroyed, and placed into stasis.”

 

He swallowed hard, able to confirm that bit of information. There were a three hundred and fourteen yeerks in the pool. The exact number there should have been.

 

“Why are you telling me this?”

 

“Because you still fear. You fear that they will return.”

 

He looked at his legs.

 

When he looked up, the man was gone.

 

He spent the rest of the night reading, trying to decide how he felt.

 

He hadn’t arrived at an answer by morning.

 

***  


He had mentioned the encounter to the others in the morning, still confused by it.

 

Rachel grimaced and stabbed her sausages with a little more force than was entirely necessary. “Oh. That guy. He showed back up.”

 

Every looked at her.

 

“You know him? Isn’t he some sort of Andalite fairy tale?”

 

She shrugged. “He interfered with us several times. It always fascinated me that Telin couldn’t get anything involving them out of my head. He stacked the deck, according to the Drode. He picked us. Well, not me. I was a wild card, but the others. Marco, Cassie, Tobias, Ax. Maybe Jake, I was never clear about that.”

 

He glanced at Melissa, uncertain.

 

She shrugged.

 

“He is….an intergalactic busybody on a level that the Andalites should never attain. He can travel time and send people through time and alter the past. He’s very old and in theory very wise.” She gestured with the speared sausage, looking faintly irritated. “It’s a big chess game; he and Crayak have been playing it for a long time. We’re all just pieces.”

 

“Wait, a time traveling omnipotent being chose five thirteen-year-olds as his weapon against the entire Yeerk invasion?” He frowned, trying not to think about the fact that his infestation might not have just been dumb luck after all. “And that’s the alien that’s on our side?”

 

Rachel sighed, but nodded. “The other guy is worse.”

 

“I don’t want Q in my bedroom.” Why couldn’t aliens just leave him alone? Or at least the meddling, chaos causing ones. He had enough problems. “Or whatever is worse than Q in my bedroom.”

 

Melissa laughed. “I don’t think you can keep him from showing up in your bedroom.”

 

He grumbled at his breakfast.

 

Rachel shifted. “The other guy is really worse. We went for long stretches without hearing from them at all, but the Crayak was on the side of “Let’s destroy earth”. The Eliminst doesn’t want that to happen.”

 

He rolled his eyes. “So he hand picked a team of five human kids and one Andalite kid?”

 

Rachel grinned. “We did pretty good for five human kids and one Andalite kid. Visser Three was convinced for years that we were Andalite assassins, specially trained in covert operations. When really we were fighting the Yeerks and worrying about math tests.”

 

Melissa managed to laugh at that, though it was a little strained. “No wonder you withdrew from everything, though. What sort of life is that?”

 

Rachel looked down, thoughtful. “A good one. A better one than I would have had otherwise. It was a purpose, I had my friends.”

 

Melissa reached across the table to clasp her hand.

 

Rachel smiled tightly. “Even with everything. It was worth it, what were doing mattered. I might not have been picked like the others, but it mattered. We needed each other.”  

 

They were quiet for a little while, not eating or moving.

 

“So, if he’s involved, do we need to expect the other guy to show up?” He sighed, pushing his tray away.

 

Rachel shrugged. “It’s hard to tell. I guess we just wait to see what happens.”

 

***  
  
It had been Rachel’s idea, but he had to acknowledge it was a good one. There were times they wouldn’t have time to morph, and over reliance on an untested ability was sure to get them hurt.

 

So every able-bodied being on the ship was put through Rachel’s version of boot camp, learning how to use dracon beams and how to fight hand to hand, building their bodies back up from years of under use.

 

He hadn’t realized how woefully out of shape he was until Rachel had pinned him to the mat the first time, but he had taken the reminder with good humor.

 

Months after they had woken up on the ship with their lives turned upside down, he could hold his own against her. At least until they morphed.

 

Rachel was in a class all her own with morphing.

 

He was breathing hard, his back sticky with sweat, and his hands slick with it. But he didn’t look away from Rachel.

 

The long metal poles had originally been a tool she used to help train the Hork-Bajir, who were entirely unused to using their blades to fight. They were heavy, solid things, and the first time he had used one his back and arms had ached for days.

 

He breathed, and she breathed, and they watched each other, waiting for the slight drop of guard.

 

Rachel was impulsive, she always moved first. He was hesitant, he waited too long.

 

It made them interesting sparing partners.

She moved and he stepped back, the poles met with a ringing clang, he used the inertia to shove her back, circling the mats slowly.

 

The clang echoed back at them through the room, the only sound to cut through the almost meditative silence they maintained.

 

She was grinning, her lips curled back. Testing, testing, always testing. He looked for openings, she made them.

 

He moved, and she darted forward to meet him, the quick exchange of blows sent vibrations up his arms. When they’d first started, he had sometimes dropped it.

 

He twisted and she dropped, sweeping his legs out from under him.

 

He hit the mat with a grunt of displaced air, rolling quickly before her staff imbedded in the soft matting where his head had been a moment before.

 

He moved to grab his staff, but Rachel moved first, stick tapping gently against his collar bone. “You’re still hesitating. If we get hurt we can morph out of it, stop worrying about it.”

 

He nodded ruefully, breathing out. “You’re terrifying, Sunshine.”

 

She grinned, though it was slightly less murderous than it had been a moment before, and offered him a hand up. “War and also probably a bit of becoming a controller. You’re getting quicker.”

 

“Yeah, seeing as you didn’t manage to Gallagher my brain all over the mats.” He bent to pick up the stick, moving with her to exit the mats. “Are you this mean to all of your students, or do I get special family treatment?”

 

She laughed. “You get special family treatment.”

 

“Gee, thanks Rach, I’m touched.” He rolled his eyes, grabbing his towel to mop up his face.

 

“You know it’s weird, you and Jake, you’re very similar but very different. Morphing makes it easy to see. He always favored the tiger. You go for things that are smaller and faster. Was that Iniss acquiring things or is that your choice?”

 

He shrugged. “All of the morph capable controllers acquired essentially the entire Gardens. I probably have the same tiger morph Jake has. It just never suited me. Why the bear? The Elephant?”

 

“I like to clear rooms.” She grinned, mopping the sweat away from her face. “I was always the tank when we fought.”

 

“Choice or just what you leaned towards?” He had wondered, after he found out. Wondered what had made them all choose the animals they had.

 

She smiled. “Choice. We only acquired what we wanted or needed. I have a few I won’t do again.” She shuddered. “Like ants. Nothing with a hive mind. Bugs as a whole are a very strange experience.”

 

He raised an eyebrow, questioning.

 

She laughed. “We were young and knew nothing about animal interactions? We thought all ants were the same. They aren’t, by the way.”

 

“Why were you turning into ants?”

 

She smiled ruefully. “To sneak into Chapman’s house.”

 

“Why?”

 

She settled on the bench. “When we first started, he was the highest ranked human controller we knew about. So if we needed information, or in this case, a z-space transponder, we used his house. It was a bad idea.”

 

He nodded, thinking about Chapman. “Did he know it was you?”

 

She shook her head. “After the war got to a certain point, we lost track of him. I don’t know what happened. I didn’t know Melissa was a controller until I saw her on the ship.”

 

He hesitated, biting his lip. “They were punished, like Iniss was, for not revealing you earlier. I never knew if he was actually hiding it or not, they were very strange voluntary controllers and he didn’t get along with Visser Three all of the time. I thought it might have been a power grab. Melissa was infested shortly after; Iniss still had enough power to get one of his people into her. He thought she might be a useful hostage later. And then he stole the cube, and he gave all of his people the ability to morph before he turned it over. She was one of them. But she tended to play lookout rather than battle.”

 

Rachel looked away. “Our fault, then. She never said.”

 

He shrugged. “Their fault, Rachel. Don’t forget that.” He reached over and gave her hand a squeeze.

 

She returned it. “I remember when we first got involved; she was so distant I was afraid she had gotten infested. We infiltrated Chapman’s house the first time because of her. Then, as the war went on, I just… forgot. I forgot that there were other people involved. It became less about the people and more about the thrill.”   
  
He gave her hand another squeeze.

 

She was quiet, holding his hand tightly, lost to her thoughts.

 

 

***  
  
“Wow, you got the all inclusive package, didn’t you?” Rachel had stopped just inside the door, staring at the vast expanse of space outside the windows. “I see why he picked this room instead of some of the larger ones. Does it make you dizzy in Z-Space?”

 

He rolled his eyes faintly, moving to his desk. “We all know how vain he was. But this is one of the things I don’t mind sharing with him. They can be dimmed, as well, if the blur starts bothering me or the space gets too big.”

 

Rachel nodded, moving forward to press her hand against one of the windows. “It’s huge, almost overwhelming. Doesn’t it ever make you feel small?”

 

He nodded, flipping through papers, looking for something specific. “Yeah. But I like it. Helps keep things in perspective.” He pulled the picture he had been looking for out of the bundle of papers, moving to join her. “No matter how big things felt, I could always remind myself that they and I were tiny. Small matters that just needed the right tool to be taken care of.”

 

She gave him an odd look. “When did you get so philosophical?”

 

He laughed. “Well, I became a controller at fourteen; you have to learn to cope somehow. Here.”

 

She reached out to accept the photo, face going white as she turned it over. “How do you have this?”

 

He leaned against the window. “Iniss and I had a lot of deals, especially early on. Some of them were for simple things, not trying to get Jake infested, things like that. But one of them was letting me have journals and pictures for pool time. When he grabbed his things before we ditched the house, he grabbed my backpack. It just sort of sat under the desk for a few years.”  
  
She was clutching the picture. “I don’t even remember taking this. Thank you.”

 

He grinned. “Well, it’s your family, you should have it back. There are files you can probably access, they digitized all family records. That includes pictures and video. They thought it might help them figure out what you would do next.”  
  
She nodded, touching the faces of her family with a finger tip. “We tried to get to you, to your parents. You know that, right?”

 

He nodded. “I saw Jake. I figured that was what he was there for. They moved too quickly. There was nothing anyone could have done, you didn’t have the resources to starve the Yeerks out, and we were under heavy guard because they wanted you to try something. Leaving me, leaving mom and dad-it was the only option that made sense.”

 

Rachel closed her eyes. “I’m sorry.”   
  
He shook his head. “You didn’t do anything to be sorry for, Rach. Really. My path was laid before you ever got involved.”

 

She took a deep, shuddering breath. “Do you know…what happened with my dad?”

 

He winced. “Uncle Dan and Uncle George both got taken. Uncle Dan spent most of his time advertising for the Sharing startup that was trying to take off in the city. I don’t know what Uncle George ended up doing, they were both pretty far away from everything, so I’m sure they’re fine, Rach.” Justin, Brooke, and Forest had all been taken as well. But they and his aunt had been closer. He had seen them once at the pool.

 

He had never found out the reason for that. Maybe the Yeerks had thought that the kids, having stayed with his family, might have caught something that nobody else had.

 

He hoped they had made it out, that his uncles and his aunts and his mom and cousins had all managed to console each other.

 

She shook her head, keeping her eyes closed. “We were so proud of ourselves, Tom. We thought we could do anything. We thought that we were smarter than the Yeerks, braver. But we had so much more to lose.”

 

He reached out, touching her shoulder.

 

She shivered for a moment, her lower lip trembling.

 

He took a step closer and put his arms around her, rubbing her back gently when she started to sob against his shoulder.

 

“It’s ok, Sunshine.” It would be, now. They just had to make it home again. 

 

 

***   
  
“So it’s habitable or inhabited?” He leaned forward to look at the scans he had been presented with, waiting for Jocelyn to explain further.

 

Jocelyn was practically vibrating with excitement. “It seems to be inhabited, sir. Judging by the amount of radio signals we are able to receive from it. An inhabited world, in unknown space.”

 

He smiled at her, glad she could still be excited about aliens. He was a little uncertain of their welcome. “See if they can receive transmissions and find out if it’s ok to approach. Have the helmsmen set a course for that planet but keep an eye on those transmissions.”

 

She nodded quickly, gathering her supplies and giving him a quick, happy smile before she turned out of the room.

 

Melissa passed her at the door, giving her a curious look over her shoulder. “What did you do to Jocelyn?”

 

He laughed. “I didn’t do anything except give her permission to make first contact with some aliens she found.”

 

Melissa smiled. “After all this time, she’s still in the NASA mindset? That’s sweet. I’m glad she’s happy.”

 

He shrugged. “She’s a good scientist, and the Yeerks haven’t dimmed that. I think it’s helpful for them to have something to do.”

 

She settled at the table, reaching for a few of the scans Jocelyn had left behind. “It is, at least, from a psychological perspective. I wonder how they handled the freed hosts on Earth? The tendency there is to coddle people, and while a few of our crew need to be watched over and given more attention, they need their independence more than they needed to be coddled.”

 

He watched her for a moment, smiling faintly. “I forget sometimes that Islin was an infiltrator too.”

 

She smiled. “When you parents start acting differently all of a sudden, you start reading articles on the internet about depression and exploring what the library has to offer. It’s not all her.”

 

He touched her hand, and she turned her fingers to catch his. “I’m sorry, Melissa.”

 

She shook her head. “Most of my understanding of human psychology comes from Islin. She explained things to me. I think she liked having an audience. She liked thinking about long term maintenance, breeding up hosts who would not react badly to being infested. But we can see how well that worked with the Gedd and the Hork-Bajir. Even bred into the life, they still longed for freedom. And given a chance, they took it and embraced it.” She squeezed his hand. “What they couldn’t account for was that while there are voluntary humans, there are also humans that will try to suicide if left alone. They couldn’t replicate the environmental changes that caused some humans to resist and others to welcome them. They wanted us to be simple, one dimensional. But we weren’t.”   
  
He tightened his grip on her hand gently, listening.

 

She closed her eyes. “She wanted us to yield, but everything they found out about us just painted a bigger picture. There was so much individuality, even in the children they had bred. They couldn’t figure it out.”   
  
”Lissa?” The word was gentle, though he kept his hand tight around hers, attempting to pull her back from her thoughts.

 

She shook her head quickly, hand tensing as though she was on the verge of pulling away. “Sorry, Tom.”

 

“It’s alright.” He rubbed her knuckles, shifting a bit closer. “Are you alright?”

 

She nodded. “Islin was hardly a hostbreaker. She was just something of a megalomaniac. She never tried to hurt me. I was lucky.”

 

He didn’t feel like ‘luck’ could be applied to any of their lives, and Melissa had been dragged into this long before she became infested. He squeezed her hand gently.

 

“So, planet. If it’s safe do you think we can take the kids down?” She smiled, though it was a weak shadow of her normal humor.

 

“I don’t see why we shouldn’t be able to. At least the ones old enough to walk on their own. We might check the gravity levels before we do.”

 

She nodded. “I think it would be good for them to get off the ship for a little while. If it’s inhabited and we can trade with it, are we going to use shifts to give people chances to shop?”

 

“We’ll need to discover what currency they use and if they’re willing to trade for what we have. Since we are a bit out of our normal area.”

 

Melissa nodded thoughtfully. “Well, with the replicators, we can easily create things to trade. Though I suppose that’s a little dishonest.”

 

He shrugged faintly. “I’m really after star maps. We’ll need to wait to see if Jocelyn’s aliens are friendly before making any decisions about them.” 

 

She nodded quietly, giving his hand a squeeze. “You’re right. It’s just that as nice as this ship is, I really want to get off. To breathe some air that hasn’t been recycled a hundred times.”

 

He smiled. “We’ll find that, even if it’s not this world. I think we all need a chance.”

 

***  
  
Rachel took one look at the wheezy, accordion looking alien on the screen and sighed. “Iskoort.”

 

Everyone on the bridge turned to look at her.

 

“They’re…insane. But they’re friendly. Sometimes too friendly.” She tugged at her hair. “They will buy and sell anything, so we’re in luck if we want star maps. There are crazy drops all over the planet, but it was otherwise safe for us to be on.”

 

“How do you know that?” Jocelyn looked mildly puzzled, hand over the microphone.

 

Rachel rolled her eyes. “We came to their planet once. It’s really complicated.”

 

He pressed his lips, glancing around the bridge. “Alright, settle the landing price, see what they’ll accept. I need to go take care of a few things.”

 

Rachel was giving the screen a bemused look. “Don’t sell them your kidneys, they’ll buy them.”

 

He shook his head, making a note to ask his cousin about it later. Melissa was waiting for him in the hall, five of the voluntaries who wanted their Yeerks back waiting with her.

 

They were smiling, Melissa was not.

 

He tried to force back the nauseous feeling, still uncertain he was ready for this. “You may not get the one you started with, remember that?”

 

A quick circle of nods. “Yes, Captain.”

 

He took a deep breath, glancing at Melissa. She had the data pad with the psychological evaluations in her hands. They knew which Yeerks they were going to try for, it was just a matter of them accepting the ship as it was, rather than how the wanted it.

 

This was going to be stressful. Not for the hosts, maybe for the Yeerks, but for him and Melissa assuredly.

 

He wasn’t sure how to deal with this, he just knew he had to. They were all on the same boat; the only way out of it was to get home was for them to work together.

 

It just meant overcoming the mentality that the Yeerks were the enemy, they needed them. Just like they needed the Hork-Bajir and the Gedd.

 

The enemy of my enemy, right?

 

Except for the only enemy they had right now was the endless expense of space.

 

Jardeth went first, one of the ones that Melissa had identified as slightly sympathetic but ultimately loyal to whatever would assure his survival.

 

He looked confused and wary as he secured his grip on the host, looking down at his hands thoughtfully. “No morphing, just talking. Am I on trial?”

 

“Think of it like a job interview.” He leaned forward, studying the Yeerk, thoughtful. “There are gravitational fields that are deadly to your species in this galaxy. That’s why you have been in stasis in the pool.”

 

Jardeth raised an eyebrow. “So this ship is human controlled right now. Why bother preserving us alive? You could have done as your brother did and spaced us all.”

 

He sighed, spreading his hands. “Jake and I aren’t the same person.”

 

“Yes, you have more reason than he does to hate us.” Jardeth tilted his head. “So why didn’t you, brother to Jake the Yeerk killer? Why not eliminate the problem?”

 

“Because it won’t eliminate the problem. We’re deep in unknown space, we have no maps that can get us home, we’re all stuck here drifting between worlds. Eventually we’ll run out of supplies, even the kandrona are not infinite. You know that too.” He leaned. “There are twenty-six people on this ship willing to take Yeerks back into their heads, and if those Yeerks are willing to work towards the goal of getting us out of this situation, I will make certain that they are protected.”

 

“And what will you do when we get back to Earth, human?”

 

Was he willing to risk himself for them?

 

That was the sticking point, wasn’t it? What happened if they did get back to Earth?

 

“This ship isn’t bound to any rules or laws on Earth. It has been claimed as an Earth ship, but we are not under the direction of any government.” He took a deep breath, not bothering with eye contact because Jardeth would be reading the rest of him. “Loyal crew members will be protected, even if it means we never land on the planet.”

 

Jardeth watched him, eyes slightly narrowed, clearly not trusting yet. “How does your crew feel about this, Captain?”

 

“Uncomfortable, but they trust me. Am I right to give you a chance?” The Yeerks were outnumbered, out gunned, and knew they didn’t have a chance.

 

Most Yeerks were not in it for the glory; they were in it for survival. Of them, only Iniss had the ability to morph, though the cube was hidden in his quarters. It was an option, but one he wasn’t sure about giving just yet. There were too many risks.

 

“Ok, Captain. You have a navigator. Which of my brothers and sisters are you going to let out of the pool next?” Jardeth smiled, relaxing against his bonds without another comment.

 

He let himself breathe, a little, knowing that it was only a start. Time would tell if he was right to trust them.

  
***  
  
It took them five days to reach the planet, but that was mostly them being cautious and him wanting a chance to feel out their new Yeerk crew members.

 

So far, everything seemed to be going smoothly. The Yeerks had settled into their new positions with little issue, and Melissa’s check up on the hosts after the first feeding cycle had revealed nothing amiss.

 

The crew had settled quickly, relaxing out of their panic. Too much had happened for them to hold battle lines for very long, it appeared.

 

He was glad everything seemed to be relaxing. The five controllers had stopped being glued to eachother’s sides, drifting into social groups around the ships.

 

Perhaps they didn’t want their own company, after so long in the pool?

 

He found Jardeth on the overlook, watching one of the teachers work with the children.

 

“Jardeth?”

 

The controller looked up, some of the wary tension leaving his body as he recognized him. “Captain. Is there something I’m needed for?”

 

He learned against the railing next to the controller, watching the little ones for a moment. “No. I just wanted to check on you. How are things going?”

 

Jardeth gave him an odd look, turning his attention back to the kids. “You’re a very strange human, Captain.”

 

He shrugged. “What would a normal human have done here?”

 

Jardeth hesitated. “Probably something similar to what your brother did, Captain. Let us squirm until the airless cold of space killed us.”

 

“The way I see it, we need to trust each other. I need to be able to trust you to get us back to space we both know, and you need to trust me to keep you safe. Neither of us are on solid ground here. Threats won’t solve that problem. They won’t get either of us what we want. So we work together, we both benefit, and nobody gets hurt.”

 

Jardeth frowned, shaking his head. “Mostly, we’re confused. I’ve had a few of your crew approach me asking to talk to Peter, and a handful of others waited with Peter, Emily and John when we were feeding. But otherwise…they treat us like any of the other crew members. I don’t understand it. And you’re good, Captain, but you’re not good enough to repress every hint of ill will towards us like this. It’s genuine. They’re a little uncomfortable, but they’ve accepted us. Us, Yeerks, a handful of the beings that have made their lives hell. I may not have taken an unwilling host, but I know it is only luck that has me out of the pool. Why give us this chance?”

 

He nodded, watching Jardeth thoughtfully. “Because sometimes, you need to take leaps of faith. I’ve been around Yeerks a long damned time, I’ve had a host breaker in my head, I’ve had Iniss too, and he was not nearly as bad as Temrash. I’ve heard about the peace movement, and I know you and the other four are not anything close to that selfless. But I also believe that you are individuals. That given the chance you can do something good. So I’m giving you that chance.”

 

Jardeth watched him, lips curling. “And how do you know we won’t betray you?”

 

He smiled quietly. “Because I have the keys to the Kandrona and you would only have three days to pull it off.”

 

Jardeth chuckled. “I think you’ve spent too much time around Yeerks, Captain. But I understand. If you were just a bleeding heart, we’d have no reason to believe that you would keep your word at the end of this journey. A pragmatist, though. That we can understand, work with. As long as we remain loyal to you, you remain loyal to us. You knew that even before you agreed to let Peter put me back in his head. That’s the mistake Iniss made with your brother, he turned and bit.”   
  
He shrugged faintly. “Only so much can be placed on family resemblance, Jardeth. I’m not Jake; I’m not using him as a guideline on how to pull this whole thing off. But I want us all to get home, and right now your home is surrounded by Andalite ships. So I guess you need a new one. Why not here? We’re not the glory of the Yeerk Empire, but nobody is going eat you or cut off your head for a simple mistake, either.”

 

Jardeth sighed, making a face. “That why I followed the Sub-Visser in the first place. Anything was better than staying on Earth. Anyone could see it was spiraling out of control, and the Andalite’s were going to get there.” He made a gesture down to the kids. “So what, we just _Kumbaya_ around the campfire until everyone forgets we’re space slugs set on enslaving the galaxy?”

 

He shrugged. “I think they’ve already started to forget that, Jardeth. Honestly, it’s not a matter of the humans and other aliens on board forgetting about where you started, it’s a matter of you deciding to give it up. You ready for that?”

 

Jardeth looked away. “I’ll think about it, Captain, I’ll get back to you when I decide. It’s a big gig to let go of.”

 

“Is it? We’re pretty far from the empire right now; even Visser One got a pass.”

 

Jardeth snorted. “Yeah, but then she got stepped on by a gorilla, so excuse me if I don’t rush to emulate her.”

 

He laughed. “Think about it. Peter has given you a chance. Also feed before we make planet fall, I’d like you to come with us and I don’t want to risk you getting caught out away from the ship.”

 

Jardeth waved him away. “Yeah. Will do. Thanks for the heads up. I’ll let Joan know.”

 

He paused, glancing down at the teacher. “Why the kids?”

 

Jardeth shifted, not looking back at him, almost uneasy. “One of them is Peter’s. He was wondering about the little grub.”

 

“Ah. Well, enjoy yourself then.”

 

 ***  
  
The planet wasn’t what he had been expecting, and from the gleeful look on Rachel’s face, she had been expecting his disbelief.

 

“It looks like a box of leggos threw up.” He gaped at the expanse through the view port of the bug fighter, eyes wide. “This is really a town?”

 

“Yep. A city, really. They live and buy and sell here. They pretty much exist to buy and sell.” Rachel was smug, still grinning widely.

 

Jocelyn looked disappointed. “Have you been to all of the planets in this sector of space?”

 

Rachel shook her head. “Just this one, and only briefly. So the next one you will get to tell us about.”

 

Jocelyn smiled. “It’s alright, even if we’re not the first humans on this world, it’s still exciting to get to explore one on my own. I saw a few in the memories of the Yeerk, but…it’s different.”

 

He was proud of her for not glancing at Jardeth, who was giving the world outside the view port a look of utter contempt. “It looks like one of those human programs meant to lobotomize your young. Why are we coming <i>here</i> for star charts?”

 

He shook his head. “We’ll see what they have; it might not be our final stop. But what’s the harm in looking?”

 

“I can think of about many dangers, and they all start with inane musical numbers.”

 

Rachel laughed. “What have do you have against human television programs?”

 

Jardeth rolled his eyes. “Singing purple dinosaurs. I might not be able to control the impulse to shoot first.”

 

Even Melissa cracked a smile, though she didn’t release her hold on the arms of her seat.

 

“It’s not the land of Barney; I don’t think they’ll start singing at you. They may ask to buy your memories.” Rachel shrugged, seemingly entirely amused by the amount of umbrage he was taking to the situation.

 

Tom sat back, watching to make sure the teasing didn’t get out of hand.

 

Jardeth paled. “What sort of madhouse is this? And do what with them?”

 

Rachel shrugged. “Watch them like movies, I think. They bought my hair the last time we were here.” She raked her fingers through the still short strands. “I doubt they’ll be able to manage this time. But we have more to trade with.” She smiled at Jardeth. “Keep your eyes open, you might learn something.”

 

“What does <i>that</i> mean?”

 

 But Rachel wouldn’t respond, turning her attention back to the view port and the city they were closing in on.

 

***  
  
Guide had hugged Rachel fourty-seven times. It was only in the last dozen she had started to look vaguely homicidal every time he got closer.

 

The aliens were strange, but none had been the little green men the movies of his childhood had promised him thus far, so he had learned to get over that.

 

Sera had ended up carrying Am’il thorough the city, concerned that the Gedd’s poor eyesight might cause him to miss one of the sudden drops that scattered around the city.

 

Melissa had placed herself on the inside wall and refused to leave it, her eyes wide and her face pale.

 

He hadn’t expected her to be scared of heights, but she was giving every indication that she was. “Do you want to go back to the ship?”

 

She shook her head quickly, hand fumbling for his arm. “I’m ok. We’re almost there. Right?”

 

He nodded. “Just a few more houses, Guide said. Are you sure you’re ok?”

 

“I’m just a bit dizzy, I just need some water.” She took a deep breath, looking at her feet.

 

“Ok.” He gave her another concerned look, covering her hand on his arm.

 

She gave him a weak smile, maintaining her very solid grip on his arm.

 

He led her down another series of chaotic stairs, watching Jocelyn chatter at Guide and Rachel try to avoid the forty-eighth hug. She failed, and Guide seemed perfectly content to chat with the scientist about whatever had caught her attention.

 

Jardeth was bringing up the rear, one hand resting on his dracon beam as he looked around, but otherwise silent.

 

He just hoped they got what they needed from this trip.

 

Melissa’s hand tightened convulsively on his arm.

 

He made a soothing noise.

 

“I can carry her.”

 

He blinked up at the very serious Yeerk, but Melissa was already shaking her head. “Thank you, Jardeth, but I think it would just make it worse. We’re almost there. I promise to lie down once we get there.”

 

“You’re in pain, Doctor.” Jardeth frowned, stepping forward and pressing against her other side. “What happened?”

 

Melissa gave him a slightly irritated look, but didn’t respond.

 

Jardeth gave her a long look and she sighed.

 

“I just need the medication to take effect. I wasn’t expecting the gravity to react like this.”

 

“React like what?” He looked between them, feeling he was missing a large part of the conversation.

 

Jardeth made a low, irritated sound. “She’s pregnant. We left all the other breeders on the ship. She’s been in space since the pregnancy started and her body is reacting to the sudden return of full gravity. We haven’t actually tested dropping anyone out of zero to a planet; you realize that, Chief Medical Officer? You could have just damaged yourself or the baby.”

 

Melissa grimaced. “I’m not that far along. It will be fine. The medication will help, and sleeping to allow my body to regulate itself will help even more.”

 

He tightened his grip on her hand. “Are you taking readings?”

 

She nodded. “Have been since we passed the atmospheric threshold and the pain started, it’s the increase in weight. Neither myself or the baby are in any distress. It’s just pain. I can survive a little pain.”

 

He kept his grip on her hand; feeling a bit confused and left out, and then silly for thinking he had any right to know about something that was clearly personal.

 

She squeezed his arm. “Stop looking at me like I’m going to break in half, Tom. I’ll be fine.”

 

***  
  
He made sure Melissa was asleep before he left her alone in the tiny room, glancing at the Jardeth as he moved back for the main room.

 

“She didn’t tell you, I’m guessing?” Jardeth was still frowning, and didn’t look any happier about the situation than he felt.

 

He shrugged. “None of my business, is it? None of yours, either. It’s Melissa’s body.”   
  
Jardeth rolled his eyes. “You wouldn’t have put her at risk if you had known.”

 

“I would like to avoid putting them at risk if I don’t have to. But it’s her choice.” He raised an eyebrow. “How did you know?”

 

Jardeth shook his head slightly. “Emily’s Yeerk, Telis, was in charge of the breeding program. She-they, whatever, was also my partner. Is my partner. Emily is the mother to Peter’s grub. I know who is bred on the ship, and who should have been bred that your doctor discretely helped deal with the problem. I was honestly surprised that she didn’t clean herself out like she did the others.”

 

He grimaced. “Do everyone else a favor and don’t refer to it as “clean themselves out” again, Jardeth.”

 

The Yeerk shrugged. “I forget how finicky you humans get about that.”

 

“It’s not just humans that get finicky about it, Jardeth.” He sighed, rubbing his face, giving the bedroom a confused look.

 

“Like you said, it’s her problem. If she’s been taking readings they should be fine.” Jardeth frowned, glancing back to the main room.

 

“I didn’t say it was her problem, I said it was her choice. There is a very definite difference.” He ran his fingers through his hair, trying not to pull. Pulling his hair would reveal how frazzled he was about this.

 

“Right. It takes a village.” Jardeth shook his head. “I’m going to go bother the asthmatic about star charts and what we came here to learn about.”

 

“You do that, Jardeth.” He sank into one of the strangely shaped chairs, still trying to sort out how he felt.

 

“Is she sleeping now?”

 

He glanced up at Rachel, smiling ruefully. “Yeah. She said she was giving herself something, and about halfway through the explanation of what it was she started rambling in something that wasn’t English or Common and went to sleep. I made sure she didn’t hit her head.”

 

Rachel smiled faintly. “So she finally told you, huh? She was worried about it.” She crossed her arms, frowning faintly. “Are you alright?”

 

“Am I alright? Melissa’s the one who almost passed out.” He gave her an incredulous look; sure he looked like an idiot.

 

“And you’re the one that has a thing about people hiding things from you.” Rachel arched her eyebrow.

 

“I do no-“ Ok, maybe he did. A tiny thing. “I do, don’t I?”

 

She smiled. “Yeah, you do. It’s ok. We’ve all got our flaws. So, you ok?”

 

He frowned at the door. “I’m mad.”

 

“Good. Well, not if you’re mad at Melissa, but at the situation, sure.” Rachel settled into an awkwardly graceful crouch. “Mad is easier to handle than sad.”

  
He sighed. “You’re not very good at this.”

 

“It was always Cassie’s job. But Jardeth has Guide cornered and I have something better than talking about our problems.” She stripped off her jacket, toeing off her boots. “You have a raptor morph, right?”

 

He blinked at her. “Like four of them, why?”

 

“Pick one and morph it, you and I are going flying.” She grinned, feathers mottling her face.

 

***  
  
He had flown before. Well, not him, exactly. Iniss had been in control. But he had been there, watching from the back of his mind as the world raced by beneath them.

 

It had been an amazing experience, one that had left him hungry for more. But it hadn’t been very long after they had gotten the morphing ability that they had left Earth. There had just been that one, amazing experience.

 

It paled in comparison to this, chasing Rachel-the-eagle through an alien city in a high paced game of tag that seemed to have no end.

 

He whooped in thought speak, dropping into a dive that should have left his feathered body a smear of meat on the window he dove past.

 

But for the bird, the dive was effortless. The lack of ground beneath just made it more exhilarating

 

Being a bird was amazing; being a bird of prey was like strapping himself into a bottle rocket.

 

Rachel was laughing at him in thought speak, offering advice as they danced over the city.

 

It really was dancing, wasn’t it? The birds had no fear, and as long as they had time left on their clocks, there was nothing else to fear.

 

< We need to demorph, unless you want to explain to your brother why you’re a bird when we get home. >

 

He laughed internally. < That ledge over there wide enough? >

 

< If it’s not, we get to fall until we finish demorphing and can remorph. >

  
< You’re so reassuring, Rachel. >   
  
< My job is not to be reassuring, it’s to make doorways. >

 

His laugh became a physical thing as he regained lips, flopping down on the warm, brightly colored ledge while his legs finished demorphing.

 

“Well, what do you think?” She grinned, settling next to him.

 

“That was awesome.” He grinned, closing his eyes and spreading his arms. “Effortless and awesome.”

 

“That was pretty much how we felt our first time flying. It’s the most amazing feeling. If you want a real trip, though, turn into a Dolphin. It’s…..” She made a noise like she didn’t have the words. “It’s different, but it’s perfect too.”

 

He shook his head. “Iniss was never interested in those. He morphed Homer first, just to test it out. Then we went to the Gardens and acquired basically everything. I barely remember a quarter of the morphs I have.”

 

Rachel flopped next to him. “Did you need to wait for Visser Three…or?”

 

He shook his head. “There was enough residual energy from Jake and Cassie handling it. I guess. Or maybe it was keyed to my genetics. Iniss gave the morphing power to all of his people before he admitted he had it to the Visser. He wanted the accolades, but he also wanted the morphing power.”

 

Rachel rolled, looking at him thoughtfully. “Would they have prevented him from having?”

 

“He was a paranoid asshole.” He shrugged. “They wouldn’t have allowed him as free reign as he took with it. I know they were irritated with him for it, the Visser and the Council. But what could they do at that point?” He closed his eyes, savoring the heat of the alien sun.

 

“Its weird hearing you talk about it, knowing where we were on the other side of things.”

 

He cracked an eye to look at her, smiling faintly. “Yeah? Did Jake ever ask Cassie out?”

 

Rachel laughed. “I don’t think officially. Why?”

 

“If they go on a date, dad owes me twenty dollars. Iniss made the bet, but I suggested it, so I’m counting it as mine.”

 

“You bet on your little brother’s love life?”

 

He grinned. “I bet in favor of him having one. Iniss spent six months convinced he had a crush on Marco.”

 

“What, really?” Rachel rolled over on her stomach, laughing a little.

 

“Yes, all those whispered conversations and sneaking around? Always staying over at Marco’s house? Iniss was convinced they were messing around.” He hadn’t really minded the thought of it, but Marco was something like a third child in the family, it had never felt like the right solution to Jake and Marco’s secrets. “That or they had joined a gang. Which really wasn’t that far off from the truth.”

 

Rachel laughed, shaking her head. “Jake and Marco. I just…I just can’t.”

 

“I know, right? I mean if that’s what makes Jake happy, sure. I’ll support it. But Marco? Iniss didn’t trust my insight into the situation.” He pretended to sulk, watching her. “What about you?”

 

“What about me?”

 

“Jake was flirting with Cassie, which leaves three other guys and you.”

 

She tossed her hair. “What, you think I was flirting with Marco?”

 

He considered it for a moment, and then shook his head. “I think you would decimate Marco, Rachel, if you ever decided to pay attention to him. So that leaves the Andalite kid and the bird. Which one?”

 

She stuck her tongue out at him. “Tobias.”

 

“That dreamy looking kid? The one that looked like he should be writing angsty poetry?”

 

She made a further face, chin settled against her arm. “Yes. Him, though he’s different now. During one of our first missions, he became stuck as a bird. Some events later gave him back the ability to morph, but he was still a bird.”

 

“First kiss?”

 

She blushed and he laughed.

 

“Please tell me he was human at the time.”

 

She punched his shoulder and he rolled away in pretend pain, keeping an eye on the edge of their hiding place.

 

“He was human at the time. I miss him.” She rubbed her knuckles.

 

“Sorry. I shouldn’t joke.” He looked away, rueful.

 

“It’s ok. It’s good to laugh, to think about them.” She swallowed hard. “So what about you, now that you’ve gotten my boyfriend out of me.”

 

He laughed nervously. “The last girl I dated was Rebecca Bolton.”

 

“The cheerleader? But she’s like two grades above you.”

 

“I was an old freshmen, she was a young sophomore. I thought I was pretty cool.” He sat up, arms draped around his knees. “She started telling me about this really cool club she was a part of, and how I should come check it out. So I did, because she was cool and I was cool, and we should do cool things together. I went to a couple meetings, got to make out with her. Normal teenage stuff.” He smiled, though it felt more like a grimace. “She became a full member, or maybe she already was one, and she kept slipping away to meetings. I was dumb; I thought she was seeing someone else. So one night, I followed her. Visser Three was in that meeting, in his Andalite form, and I guess I made a noise. I tried to run, but the grabbed me and dragged me down to the pool. Put a Yeerk in my head. ‘Rebecca’ and ‘I’ thought it would be best to see other people. First kiss, though. Everything short of all of it, too.” He ran his hands down his legs, looking at the swirling clouds beneath him.

 

Rachel was quiet, absorbing the information. “Damnit, I knew her hair was too good to be real.”

 

He laughed in spite of himself. “I don’t think the Yeerks used technology on her ha-“

 

“Shhhh. It was clearly alien technology that made her hair so perfect. An impossible standard.”

 

He shook his head, still laughing, and caught the glint of humor in his cousin’s gaze.

 

It felt good to laugh about it, after all this time had passed.

 

 

***  
  
They flew back as owls, mostly because they could. The city didn’t seem to get dark enough that the falcon would have any problems with it, but though he had an owl morph, he had never actually used it before.

 

It was a different sort of power, an almost effortless glide over the city.

 

< Someone is watching our house. >

 

< Where? > He turned his head, trusting her observation.

 

< See, there, the alien with the dog. >

 

< I don’t think that’s a dog, Rachel. >   
  
< Ok, fine. But it looks like a dog. With…tentacles. >

 

They circled above the alien, trying to catch as much detail as they could. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much, the alien was heavily cloaked, features obscured by the hood. He couldn’t even tell if it was a sort of alien he knew.

 

< Heads up inside, Jardeth, Am’il, Sera and Jocelyn, we might be about to have company. Someone tell Guide, and nobody shoot me, I’m coming in the window. > He switched to private, directing the orders at Rachel. < Stay out and above, I’m going to demorph and go see what they want. >

 

Rachel couldn’t give him the odd look she wanted to as a bird, but he could almost see it anyway. < You are far too direct at this, Tom. What if they shoot you? >

 

< What if they’re just fundraising for their kid’s first space camp? If we act like we’re under attack, its way more obvious that we don’t belong here. So chill, keep an eye out to make sure they don’t gain friends, and let me know if anything weird happens. >

 

He circled the house, landing on the balcony, already in the midst of demorphing. That was getting easier, relying on his own instincts for how to touch down.

 

Jardeth was frowning at the door. “What is it?”

 

“We don’t know yet, I’m going to go out and say hello.” He smiled, pulling on his boots and scooping up his jacket.

 

“So when do we get to start calling you “Captain Target” because I think that’s what you’re heading for, sir.”

 

He grinned, shrugging a bit. “Put it to a vote, we’ll see if it sticks.”

 

Jardeth snorted behind him, but he was reassured that the Yeerk already had his dracon beam out and was leaning rather casually against one of the windows, perfectly angled to cover him if he needed it. “We’ll see if you survive this first.”

 

He smoothed his face into careful neutrality before he opened the door.

 

< The alien is still there. The dog is with her, nobody has joined them. >

 

He didn’t glance up to where Rachel has settled, striding up the connecting stairs to the waiting figure.

 

He paused out of range, trying to get a better idea of what they looked like, but the cloak completely obscured them.

 

“Are you the leader of the ship that left Andalite space?” The voice was surprisingly high, and strangely resonate.

 

He blinked, surprised by the English. If anything, he had been expecting Galard. “I am. Have you been following us since we left Andalite space?” There were a few races that would probably object, but it was semantics, and he didn’t really care.

 

The figure gave a brief bow. “We have not.”

 

Awkwardly, he returned the gesture, wishing he knew what he was dealing with. “May I ask why you are following us?” 

 

“You may. But we will reveal that soon, in the dreaming.”

 

He blinked. “The dreaming?”

 

He got the impression of humor, but he could not even see the figures eyes. “You are young to leave your planet, human. Perhaps you will meet me in the dreaming, but we shall see. The last we offered it to was unable. I am Ji’talla, we wait for my sister.”

 

He glanced at the dog, unable to squash the curiosity. It didn’t look much like a dog this close, though it had four legs; they ended in sharp, lethal looking claws. Its eyes were slits of blackness barely visible against its pelt, and two tentacles lay passively against the creature’s back.

 

Again he got the vague impression of humor. “He is Sivan. But do not worry, he is only a pet.”

 

“I am Tom Berenson, the Captain of the Earth ship Odyssey.”

 

“Odyssey is a good name for the ship we saw. It is an Earth story about a long journey, is it not?”

 

He blinked. “Are you…of Earth?”

 

“Our people have visited from time to time, yours tell good stories.” The alien reached to push its hood back, removing the tinted goggles that had concealed its face. It was a strange looking alien, thick braids of hair interwoven with beads and bits of what seemed like metal. Wide, yellow eyes were set into an angular face that looked more reptilian than avian.

 

Its skin was almost translucent, but black ink shifted over it in ever changing patterns, giving it a fierce, but almost graceful look.

 

“Here is my sister.”

 

He jumped a bit as the other appeared beside him. The other was cloaked as her sister had been, and offered a graceful bow as though she hadn’t just appeared out of thin air.

 

“Our people are masters of cloaking technology. If we had meant harm, Li’rana would have killed you in your sleep, and you never would have seen us.” This time he saw the humor on Ji’Talla’s face, her pointed teeth appearing as she grinned. “Thank you for approaching us, Tom Berenson, Captain of the Odyssey.”

 

He answered her smile, inclining his head. “It is my pleasure, Ji’talla, Li’rana. Please, come inside.”

 

< Tom, I don’t think this is a good idea. >

 

He really wished he could use thought speak in his own body.

 

The sisters walked in front of him, entering the house first.

 

Jardeth gave him a look that said very succinctly that he didn’t need thought speak to express that he thought Tom was doing something dumb.

 

He had let his smile fade as they returned, still trying to sort out the game.

 

They had wanted to be seen, but they had also wanted him to know that they could choose to disappear if they wished. Which could be simply a gesture of good will, but could also be pressure. They could be a threat; he should do what they wanted without question.

 

But they hadn’t given any indication of what they wanted, aside from Ji’talla’s brief mention of the dreaming, which clearly meant something to her but meant nothing to him.

 

There was a thump in the other room, and a moment later Rachel and a sleepy looking Melissa stepped out into the main room.

 

Ji’Talla smiled at the room, offering a shallow bow. “Greetings, travelers, may the road be steady under your feet.”

 

Melissa blinked at the room, brought her hands together, and bowed in return. “Thank you for your well wishes, I return you greetings in the way of your people.”

 

Ji’talla hummed, her smile growing. “We would say “Be welcome, travelers, though the road be long and lead you far, let it always return you home.”

 

Melissa nodded. “I will remember for the next time I meet any of your people.”

 

He swallowed, hoping his voice didn’t sound as tense as he felt. “These are Ji’talla and Li’rana. And Sivan. My crew are Sera, Am’il, Jocelyn, Jardeth, Rachel and Melissa.”   
  
Ji’talla turned to each as they were indicated.

 

“And Guide is, well, our guide and host while we are here.”

 

Guide was practically vibrating with energy.

 

He ignored the Iskoort for the moment, carefully stepping around the dog to stand with his crew. “You said we might find the answer in the dreaming, what is the dreaming?” He was looking at Ji’talla when he said it, but it was Li’rana who spoke, her eyes moving with him.

 

“The dreaming is a meeting of minds. We share stories between the dreamers. We would like to know your dream, Tom. We would like to know your journey. For we saw something that should not have happened, and we would like to know, for you may hold the answer.”

 

He blinked. “The answer to what?”

 

She smiled a thin membrane closing over her eyes. “The answer to a question we seek.”

 

***  
  
Jardeth argued, Rachel argued. For once, they were both in accord.

 

Neither wanted him to do this.

 

Melissa was quiet, looking between them.

 

The two aliens seemed content to wait out the low conversation, standing near the door with what he thought were bemused expressions on their faces. Their markings were constantly shifting; at one point Li’rana’s face had been entirely obscured by thick lines of script.

 

He kept his arms crossed, glancing at Am’il once to check what the Gedd thought, but otherwise waiting Jardeth and Rachel out.

 

Am’il looked relaxed, one arm crossed over the other, his head cocked to the side as he watched them.

 

He had a feeling sometimes that Am’il was better suited for freedom than any of them, and had just been waiting for the chance to take it back for himself.

 

“-dangerous. Let one of us do it!” Rachel looked irritated, arms crossed over her chest.

 

He held up a hand. “Ok, there are a few problems with that. One, I’m not sure they want you to show them your past, they asked me. Two, if it’s deadly, what sort of captain would I be if I let one of you take my place? Seriously guys?”

 

“You would be a living captain looking for new minions.” Jardeth was scowling. “Look we have no reason to trust them.”

 

He raised his eyebrow. “And we have no reason not to trust them, either. So let’s take a leap of faith here.”

 

Jardeth grimaced and looked away. “That’s not always going to turn out for you.”

 

“If something goes wrong, you will be here to put a stop to it. That’s all. I’m not putting any of you at risk to something I’m not willing to face myself.” 

 

“Why can’t we just tell them to bother another household? Nobody needs to face it.” Rachel was flexing her hands, slowly curling and uncurling them against her sides.

 

“You were an owl when Li’rana dropped the cloak.”

 

Rachel nodded.

 

“You were watching me closely, right?”

 

She nodded again, scowl returning.

 

“Did you see even a ripple of displaced air before she appeared out of nowhere?”

 

“No, but that doesn’t mean we have to go along with this.” She looked to Melissa for help, but Melissa was still and quiet, clearly paying attention but not interfering.

 

“We don’t want them as our enemies Rachel, and right now they aren’t. If we give them what they want, then maybe they won’t be. We stand to gain nearly as much as they do from this. Trust me.” He met her gaze, trying to convey as much of the emotions he was feeling as he could.

 

She looked away.

 

He sighed, turning to the two sisters. “So, how do we do this?”

 

Ji’talla looked at her sister, and then to Guide. “We need a quiet place to do this, and you should pick one among you to stand by your side. I will do so for my sister.”

 

He gave her a questioning look.

 

“There is a chance you might slip too deeply into the dream; they might need to wake you.” She flashed him a smile. “We mean you no harm, which does not mean we promise no harm.”

 

***  
  
Li’rana had shed her robes and almost every stitch of clothing she had been wearing, leaving her with an unusual number of bracelets, two graceful golden collars, and a light wrap that left half of her chest bared.

 

The tattoos went all the way down, and what he had thought was pale skin was really scales that matched the color of her hair, reflecting colors as they caught the light.  
  
It turned out there were drugs involved, or at least a very brightly colored cup of something hot.

 

The fumes alone were enough to make him feel a little light headed.

 

If Rachel could morph her eyes into laser beams the cup would have exploded.

 

He took a deep breath, watching Li’rana drink the cup and mimicking her. He was expecting a taste to match the fumes, but the liquid was warm and tasteless, numbing his fingertips and the tip of his nose first, and slowly curling its way through his body.

 

“It is needed, or else you might resist and damage yourself.” Li’rana smiled, though it was softer now. “We train from early childhood to give ourselves to the dream.”

 

He nodded, taking another sip of the oddly tasteless liquid, staring at the crystal floating between them. “Will we need to touch it?”

 

“No, it is already touching you.” She was still smiling, setting her cup aside.

 

He followed her example, aware that the room was blurry around the edges.

 

“Relax, Tom. Let the dream take you.”

 

The Dream, it turned out, wasn’t entirely different from being infested. Something else was inside him, standing just beside him.

 

It took a moment for him to shake off the last of the drugged fog and realize it was Li’rana.

 

They were standing on the street just outside his house; he could see Jake and Rachel playing in the front yard.

 

His dad and his uncles were sitting on the front porch.

 

The door opened, and his own younger self walked out with Saddler.

 

Li’rana watched, looking strangely out of place on the street, so obviously alien in a time before aliens had entered his life.

 

“They are your family.”

 

He nodded.

 

“This is a happy place.”

 

He felt himself smile in response. “Yeah.”

 

She turned to face him, one hand extended. “Will you tell me your story, Tom? Will you tell me the story of your world?”

 

He watched her hand for a moment, and then extended his hand to take it. “Sure.”

 

He told her everything he remembered, his own history sprinkled in with bits he remembered from history class or Iniss’s fascination with historical figures. He quoted poetry and movies.

 

Around them the world constantly changed. They had left the quiet street behind, his family only a small dot in the story he wove.

 

The only time she stopped him was when he took a step too close to the hidden door of the Yeerk pool, and then her hand was gentle on his chin as she turned him aside. “Not yet. Tell me of your glory, first.”

 

He must have talked for hours, with her a patient listener and observer as the world shifted around them. He took her to places he had only seen in pictures, and to other, quietly private spaces that he was sure only he knew about.

 

It seemed reasonable to share it with her, to show her everything he knew about the world.

 

It paused, and they stood once more in his driveway, watching his little brother and cousins play.

 

“It is a beautiful world, so full of potential.” She looked sad.

 

He swallowed hard, turning his gaze away from the games to look at her. “Li’rana…”

 

She reached to touch his face again, and they stood at the door to the Yeerk pool. “Will you show me your sorrows, Tom?”

 

And he did.

 

Rachel told him later that he cried out, half doubled over, forehead nearly touching the crystal. That Li’rana had made a sound that echoed his pain, her own body leaning forward to close the distance between them. That Ji’Talla had reached for the crystal and drawn her hand back with something that sounded like a swear.

 

That neither of them would wake, and that everyone had been afraid that they were going to die.

 

He didn’t know that. Instead, he told Li’rana about his infestation, he shared his fear and despair. He told her about the wars, the genocides, the things humanity had done to themselves over the centuries they had occupied the world.

 

He knew he stood for a moment above the body of a man, his eyes bulging as he struggled to breathe, and that Li’rana stood with him, staring down at the same man.

 

He wept within the dream, his stomach churning with disgust as he explained the inexplicable violence that humanity was capable of.

 

Surrounded by the stink of death and decay, he wasn’t sure how he managed not to throw up.

 

He recounted the Yeerk invasion, his own part in it, Jake’s part in it, Rachel’s part in it. He told her about his parents being infested, his younger cousins, his uncles and his aunt. He told her of the guilt he had felt, of the pain he had experienced as Iniss was tortured for not uncovering Jake’s involvement.

 

He shared the dark, private, guilty thoughts that he had never spoken of. The hate he had felt for Jake, the selfish demand that his brother do something to save him. 

 

He told her of the end of the war, of Iniss releasing control at just the right moment, of Rachel’s distraction and infestation.

 

Of fleeing Earth, leaving it all behind.

 

When he ran out of words, they were standing again on the street in front of his house, watching the children playing.

 

“It is a beautiful world, but humanity has a long way to go before it can embrace peace. But you, I think, have come just far enough to find that balance.” She sounded quietly thoughtful.

 

He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again Elfangor was leaning down to take Jake’s hand, and then Rachel’s. Something dark stood next to Saddler, leaning over his younger cousin.

 

His dad and Uncles were still talking on the porch, oblivious.

 

A car stopped right in front of them, and Vice-principle Chapmen got out, walking to his younger self. “It’s time to go, Tom.”

 

His younger self glanced at the children for just a moment, and then allowed himself to be led off.

 

“Li’rana, will you tell me of your world?” It felt like the only thing he could say, the only right thing there was to say now.

 

She looked surprised for just a moment, and then the street was gone.

 

***  
  
They were the Kelbrid, and they horded knowledge.

 

She told him that as they stood above the nest she had hatched in.

 

Kelbrid females laid their eggs together, and the hatchlings were tended communally by a network of mothers. No child ever suffered a lack of support. Male children were rare, and often somewhat sickly. Daughters would become warriors, travelers, leaders. Males were too rare to be risked in the galaxy at large.

 

She hummed him a song one of her mothers had sung for her, balanced gracefully on the edge of a cliff, fearless of the hundreds of miles stretched beneath her. Her world was a harsh one, but beautiful. Warmer than Earth, closer to their sun, but not so close that life could not take root.

 

While others had rushed to master weapons, her people had mastered the ability to hide. They were the decedents of dragons, and safety for them was to be achieved in not being found.

 

No one had ever seen a Kelbrid, none that knew they had at least. She told him the story of their truce with the Andalites, how the male had entered their space in a damaged ship, and how they had welcomed him and asked his story. She told him of the inability of the Andalite to enter the dreaming, and that her people had fixed his ship and taken his memory of them before setting him adrift in his ship with the treaty that had closed their borders. He would not remember negotiating, but they had placed within his racial memory the utter insistence that it be followed.

 

No Andalite would ever be able to comfortably cross into Kelbrid space.

 

The dreaming itself was an old ability, one that was native to her people, but had appeared among only a few. It had been replicated technologically and fallen into disuse as a talent.

 

All Kelbrid young explored the galaxy at some point, looking for a story to bring back to their nest.

 

This was her third trip, looking for the right story. Her sister traveled with her, as was often the case with the children of the Kelbrid. It might remain so, or they might part ways. It was difficult to say. Sixty-three other Kelbrid had hatched the day she had, five had been males, it had been an auspicious hatching.

 

He stood with her, watching as one of her mother’s gently ran her fingers through her child self’s hair, whispering a story to her.

 

Li’rana had paused, staring at her child self and mother in a way that made him wonder how desperate he had seemed when confronted with the images of his family and home.

 

He turned to her, and she turned to face him, he felt the words before he said them, and wondered if they were part of the dreaming as well. “Li’rana, will you show me your sorrow?”

 

The peaceful scene vanished, set aside for something darker.

 

It was called The One by her people, and had once been one of them. In the early days of the dreaming, many had gathered together to dream. Once, there was a malfunction in the machine, and most of those involved had died. Their consciousness had been so intermingled that the survivor carried the memories of them all.

 

It became obsessed with absorbing others into it, into forcing all to become one with it. Nests had fallen, outposts had fallen, entire worlds on the verge of becoming had fallen. The one had consumed them all.

 

They had tried to destroy it, but in the end were only able to contain it to the quadrant it had been born in, shut in by fences of the same radiation that would have killed the Yeerks as they crossed the invisible barrier.

 

It was a terrible thing, and all Kelbrid were taught at an early age to hide from it. That it could not be hurt, simply avoided.

 

They, who had reached the apex by hiding, not by fighting, would always be good at hiding. But even then, there were times the One overcame their defenses.

 

Whatever had happened to it since its creation had changed it into something that was no longer Kelbrid.

 

She shared her memory of stepping over shattered eggs into an empty nest, staring at buildings that should have been full of Kelbrid. She shared the horror of hundreds of lives gone in an instant. Of the horror the One had visited, and the hope they had felt seeing his ship avoid it.

 

He saw through her eyes his ship, saw the One closing in on it and saw the ship move in a way it had no business moving to the other side of the fence. Saw the One withdraw and flee, as though frightened by something it had seen.

 

They stood once more in the quiet chamber, watching her mother smooth her hair.

 

He reached for her hand, and she reached back.

 

They woke.

 

***  
  
Melissa held his head in her lap while the others talked, fingers winding through his hair slowly as he lay on the floor.

 

His body felt heavy, and he didn’t feel like getting up just yet.

 

Sivan had laid his head on Li’rana’s chest, whining softly and licking her hands as she lifted them to his face. She looked just as out of it as he felt.

 

“There is no way he was trained.” Ji’talla stared at him. “Our children begin training shortly after puberty, it is the only way they know how to surrender themselves so fully to the dream.” She settled her hand on her sister, not looking away from him.

 

“Well, if it’s a surrender, that’s why. Tom’s been a controller since he was young, probably about the same time your people start training their children.” Jardeth was scowling, still looking unhappy. “He knows how to step aside, how not to fight an intrusion. If you had told us that before you pulled him in, you would have known that.”

 

“A controller, what is that?” Ji’talla looked down at her sister, clearly questioning.

 

Li’rana leaned against her. “These humans have been in the possession of a type of sentient, it enters through the ear cannel and takes over their central nervous system. Tom showed me. This one is still a controller; he has gathered them to him. It is no trick, sister. He met me in the dreaming.”

Ji’talla tossed him a look, he smiled sleepily.

 

“They’re the Kelbrid.”

 

Jardeth set up so sharply that he thought Rachel pinched him, staring between the sisters intently. “Nobody has ever seen the Kelbrid, not even the Andalites.”

 

He laughed softly. “Well, we’re all former controllers. If anyone in the galaxy is considered ‘nobody’, it’s probably us.”

 

Melissa sighed and shushed him.

 

Ji’talla didn’t smile, hovering with concern over her sister. “Did you see what they did?”

 

Li’rana shook her head. “They were unconscious. Something else did it, it wasn’t something internal.”

 

Ji’talla frowned. “Then we have seen all we need here.”

 

“Wait, sister. Wait.”

 

He tried to lift his head, but the last of the drugs in his system made his head spin as he tried to move.

 

Melissa multiplied above him, her face stretching in strange and alarming directions. The room was melting, the crazy colors swirling together like crayons.

 

He whimpered, but the dream he fell into was his own, and there as no one to help guide him out of it.

 

***  
  
Ellen had come to visit with the kids after Jake disappeared. He had heard his dad talking to her on the phone.

 

Or rather ‘he’ had heard ‘his dad’ talking to her on the phone. Iniss had been sitting rather sullenly at the table, listening and making no attempts to disguise that he was.

 

He was trying not to listen, trying to push away the events happening in the kitchen until they stopped entering his life.

 

Iniss had his orders; the Yeerks in his parents had their orders.

 

His family was being neutralized as a potential threat. His aunt Ellen, his Uncle George, his Uncle Dan, his parents, his cousins.

 

“Aunt Ellen, why don’t I take them to the Gardens for a little while? Get them out of everyone’s hair?” Iniss knew how to act helpful, knew exactly the right tone to take to make people trust him.

 

Aunt Ellen didn’t even bother to question him. “Thanks, Tom, it’s great that you are being such a big help to your parents. I know you’re preparing for the university.”

 

Iniss smiled, not commenting.

 

He wouldn’t be going to the university. He knew that. Iniss had made no secret of the fact that school was behind him now, not ahead of him. The Yeerks didn’t care about test scores.

 

Forest was tiny, and had all sorts of baby crap that had to be loaded into the car, Brooke watched him with her thumb in her mouth, eyes huge.

 

None of the kids had handled Saddler’s death well, but Brooke was at the age where she both understood and didn’t understand. Forest was too little, Justin was old enough that he got it just fine.

 

Brooke was still confused.

 

“Did Jake go away like Saddler went away, Tom?”

 

Iniss kept wrestling with the baby seat. “Not in the same way, Brooke. He just ran away. He’s…having some issues, you know?” She probably didn’t, but he made no effort to point that out to Iniss.

 

Brooke nodded quietly.

 

<Let me do it.>

 

<I can manage this stupid contraption.>

 

<Look either we can stand here all day while you try not to curse at it or you can let me do it.>

 

Iniss grumbled faintly but relented, allowing him to fasten Forest’s baby seat into the car.

 

He smiled at Brooke, bending down to scoop up Forest before Iniss retook control. Iniss was not particularly fond of children, he had more leeway dealing with tasks Iniss didn’t like to do.

 

Brooke’s forehead wrinkled for a moment, her confusion obvious.

 

< Idiot. You’re too genuine. >

 

He accepted the backwards shove without much struggle, allowing Iniss to finish fastening the kids into the car.

 

Justin was scowling at the house, his head tilted to the side. “I don’t know why we’re here anyway. Why isn’t dad?”

 

“Come on, Justin, our parents have enough to worry about right now.” Iniss waved the grumbling away.

 

“Yeah, and you’re an adult and are just playing babysitter. Doesn’t it bother you that they’re talking about the important stuff without you?”

 

Brooke frowned at her brother from the back seat. “Justin, stop being a brat and listen to Tom!”

 

Justin rolled his eyes, but got in the car, crossing his arms over his chest.

 

< I am going to enjoy that one being infested. >

 

He tried not to shudder. < Brooke and Forest aren’t going to be much good as hosts. They’re too little. >

 

< I’m not sticking my neck out for your family. So don’t even start. I have my orders. >

 

< They’re just kids, Iniss, they don’t know anything. Even Justin, for all that he’s a bit of a brat. They’re little. >

 

< That’s the exact argument you used for your brother, and look how that turned out. Or do you want another visit to interrogation? >

 

He flinched mentally, unable to help himself, but forced himself to continue. < If you can get the information they want without infesting them, aren’t you still following orders? You know Jake wouldn’t have done anything where they could see. He’s too smart for that. >

 

< As has recently been established, neither of us knows anything about your brother. >

 

He went quiet, watching the kids in the rearview mirror. < At least take them to the Gardens. If they’ve seen Jake morph, it’s probably something from there, right? So they might let slip that they’ve seen an animal before. >

 

Iniss tore into him, easily finding the root of the request. < They won’t thank you for one last exciting afternoon. >

 

< But they’ll be tired when they’re done. Less chance of them misbehaving, right? > He felt like he was dooming himself, begging and borrowing ever scrap of a chance he could get.

 

< It is unlikely that Jake will fly over at just the right moment. He knows he’s being watched for. >

 

< Please, Iniss. >

 

< I hate you. I hate whichever misbegotten idiot crawled out of the primordial ooze to start the evolutionary chain that would eventually result in your entire family. I hate this muddy little planet and all the gasping idiots that dwell on it. I hate your fucking brother more than I have ever hated a sentient life form in my life. More than any sentient has ever hated another sentient. I will see him destroyed, you understand that, right? >

 

He couldn’t swallow, he wasn’t in control. < Yes, Iniss. >

 

< Not dead, destroyed. I will make sure he lives to suffer. >

 

< yes. >

 

But he turned the car towards the Gardens, away from the Yeerk pool.

 

He wished he could sigh, but trapped in the back corner of his mind, all he could do was watch.

 

He was used to that by now.

 

***  
  
He woke alone in the room they had been given to sleep it, breathing heavily as he stared around the room. It was dark. But the muted colors of the crazy leggo blocks reassured him that he was still on the Iskoort planet.

 

He took a deep breath, forcing his hands to relax.

 

It hadn’t helped, the day at the Gardens, Jake hadn’t magically appeared, hadn’t seemed to remember that the kids existed at all.

 

Iniss had turned them over to the Yeerks, sleepy and warm from the day, and he had been unable to do anything to stop it.

 

He had seen them, occasionally, briefly. They weren’t allowed to be alone with him at the pool, but he could hear Forest and Brooke crying sometimes while their Yeerks fed. Or maybe he was just imagining it, and overlaying the misery of other children on his own personal tragedy.

 

“They’re free now. They’re safe. On Earth. Their Yeerks surrendered, and they’re free.” He ran his hands over his face.

 

They had to be free, because he had so many other nightmares to wrestle with.

 

He ran his hands through his hair, forcing himself to breathe, to push the memories of their faces out of his head.

 

Once they got back, he’d check on them. He’d apologize.   
  
There was nothing else he could do. Nothing that would make any difference.

 

He pulled the blankets off his legs, fumbling around in the darkness for his boots.

 

He had to find the others. He needed to focus, not cling to the shattered bits of his past. If he’d learned anything from the longer term hosts at the pool, it was that allowing himself to get buried in his memories was just as fatal as a Dracon beam.

 

***  
  
They stayed on the planet for three weeks, integrating the Kelbrid and Iskoort star maps with their own and navigating the safest path home.

 

They couldn’t do it all at once, they were too far out and there was too much potential for things – like planets, or space stations, or other ships, Jardeth had helpfully explained – being in their way for them to take it straight. They also couldn’t risk going back through Kelbrid space, as the radiation fence was deadly to the Yeerks on board and the One might not be so willing to let them escape this time.

 

Jardeth had looked frazzled pretty much since they started mapping the course they were going to take, and Am’il had taken to vanishing for long periods of time as he integrated the newly purchased equipment into the rest of the ship.

 

And then they had discovered that the Iskoort had some sort of relation to the Yeerks and Jardeth had been forced to split his time between the charts and negotiating with and for his people for what they wanted to do with their future.

 

An overwhelming majority had decided to risk the uncertainty of the planet. There were only thirty-two Yeerks left on the ship.

 

He would be lying if he said he wasn’t relived by that. It removed one hazard from his already full plate.

 

As wild as things were, they felt like they were going well. In this tiny speck in the middle of unknown space, things were finding some sort of equilibrium.

 

He paused behind Am’il, waiting for the Gedd to inform the new mother that he was there.

 

Good things kept happening, he needed them. He needed them to keep him going when things felt the bleakest.

 

She was the youngest of the female Gedd, and her two newborns represented a chance. It was a chance for the Gedd to exist as free people in the Galaxy, a people with much to offer.

 

Am’il had seized the chance presented to him, and had moved to solidify it, to change the opinion of his people with those on the ship.

 

They might not have the proud history of the Hork-Bajir, or the stubbornness of the humans that they had found their place with, but they were just as valuable as any other member of the crew.

 

“She is ready to see you, Captain.” Am’il gave him a fierce look, leading him back into the chamber the Gedd had claimed for their own.

 

He smiled quietly, approaching the nest and the female within it. “Sm’il.”

 

She echoed the smile, clearly having been around humans enough to absorb the gesture. “Captain Thom.” She curled tighter around her infants, protective of them, wishing to shield them from the galaxy at large.

 

He knelt down next to the nest, not wishing to tower over her. “Am’il tells me that we welcomed two new crew members, Sm’il. I am happy to hear that they and you are doing well.”

 

She smiled shyly, shifting to allow him to see one of the newborns.

 

He gave the baby a fascinated look, checking with the mother before he reached to touch. Gedd babies were small; he could likely hold this one in the palm of his hand. The fur that covered the newborn was softer than the coarse hair that would cover it later in life.

 

“My son.” She paused, watching him intently. “Th’om.” She looked away, shy.

 

He smied. “I am honored, Sm’il. What is your daughter to be called?”

 

She smiled at the hidden child, nuzzling her gently. “Ra’il. For strength. Because your cousin is strong.”

 

“Rachel will also be honored, Sm’il. Thank you.”

 

“Thank you, for the freedom to come. They will never know the Yeerk pool.” She looked at him, still shy and unsure.

 

He nodded. “They will be safe; we will make sure that they only know freedom. You will show them.”

 

She smiled, nuzzling her babies again.

 

He waited for another few moments, then rose to give the new mother space to enjoy her children.

 

Am’il met him at the door, looking back at the female before leading him out. “You have given us hope, Captain. Do not risk it by risking yourself.”

 

He nodded seriously. “I will do my best, Am’il.”

 

The Gedd sighed at him. “Some desire to be heroes, some are chosen to be heroes, and others still are simply heroes. We will do our best to ensure your survival.” The tiny creature hobbled away, giving him no chance to reply.

 

***  
  
Rachel had told him not to do it, and then had insisted that someone watch when she had accepted that he was going to do it anyway.

 

He had agreed with the demand, but insisted he had to do it.

 

Rachel had given him one of her looks, implying that she thought he was being exceedingly dumb, and set a squad of people to keep an eye on them.

 

She didn’t understand, but he needed to do this. He needed to face Iniss one last time and close this part of his life. If he didn’t, it would haunt him.

 

That Iniss would survive had never really been a question, the Yeerk was as bad as any cockroach. He wanted to live above all other things. He would do fine on the planet. He would be glad to have the constant threat of a morph capable yeerk off his ship.

 

He sat; waiting for Iniss to shake off the last of the static fog that stasis would have left, waiting for the Yeerk to morph.

 

Iniss didn’t surprise him, quickly taking his own form on the other side of the glass.

 

He looked surprised, one eyebrow arching.

 

Tom smiled. “Good morning.”

 

Iniss frowned. “What is this? What’s happening?”

 

He shrugged. “Change in management. I came to give you the options that you have. Most of your Yeerks are gone, Iniss.”

 

There was something almost indolent about the way Iniss sat back in the chair, arms crossed over his chest. Challenging him.

 

“There’s a planet beneath us. The Iskoort home world. That is one of your choices.” He watched Iniss, not fooled for a second by the cocky bravado.

 

His old master was scared, he had not expected this, and he wasn’t sure what to do now that he had found himself in this position.

 

“And?”

 

He looked down at the table. “We’re returning to Earth, after this. If you remain on board I will turn you over to Earth authorities for trial.”

 

Iniss sneered. “I have no doubt they’ll treat me fairly.”

 

He shrugged. “I would rather not have you on board, to be perfectly honest.”

 

“I really don’t care what you want, Tom. Why give me the choice at all, why not just kill me? It’s what you want, isn’t it?”

 

He smiled. “No. I don’t like you Iniss, but you weren’t as much of a dick as you could have been. There are a lot of Yeerks worse than you, and they’ve been given second chances. So, what will it be? Iskoort home world or Earth?”

 

Iniss rolled his eyes. “You know the answer already, Tom. I want my things.”

 

“I’ll see what can be packed before we leave. Demorph, please. You’ll be left in stasis until we’re off world and they’ve been ordered not to give you a ship. I imagine you’ll nothlit pretty quickly, which is an option that most on the planet don’t have.”

 

Iniss frowned. “Why are you doing this? Bigger man spite?”

 

He closed his eyes, sitting back. “Partially, yes. I’m not you, I’ve never been you. Thankfully, I will never be you. Some of it is setting an example. Both for the Yeerks that have decided to follow me, and the former hosts on board. It does them more good to let the past go than to indulge in torture fantasies.” He tilted his head. “But for the most of it? Because for three years, you kept your word and didn’t get my family infested. Without you, Jake never would have managed to defeat the empire. It’s a show of thanks, Iniss, for the good you did for the resistance.” He pushed away from the table, feeling more relaxed than he had in years.

 

Iniss was staring at him, his eyes narrowed.

 

“Goodbye, Iniss. I hope you have a long, satisfying life.”

 

He walked out of the room without looking back. \

 

*~*~*~*~  
  
He found Li’rana on one of the impossible balconies, sitting above the drop and staring down into the clouds.

 

He stopped next to her, and together they watched the sun sinking low on the horizon.

 

“We did not expect to find you.” She said, finally, after the skies had darkened completely.

 

“I don’t think we expected to be found. I’m sorry we couldn’t help you find your answer.”

 

Her strange face twisted with something he thought might be humor. “All answers defy the question. You did help us.” She lifted her head, tilting it to the side. “I am glad to have met you.”

 

He swallowed an uncomfortable lump in his throat. “Where will you go next?”

 

“We never know. Asking other questions, or seeking other answers. My sister and I will walk until we have found something to take back with us.”

 

“You could come with us?” He offered, uncertain if he wanted them to, but willing to make the offer.

 

“No. Your story is your own. I am glad to have shared a part in it, but you must define it on your own.”

 

He sat next to her, studying the empty sky. The city was too bright to see any stars. “I used to wonder what was out there.” He mused, soft.

 

“I still do.” She responded, delicate hands folding together.

 

He closed his eyes, bowing his head and relaxing his shoulders.

 

“Death has followed at your heels for a long while. But do not think that it must define who you are.” Ghost like, her hand brushed his shoulder, her cheek pressed fleetingly to his. “Farewell, dreamer. Meet me again if the stars will it, or travel well until the road ends.”

 

He kept his eyes closed as she stood, slipping away from him. Her footfalls vanished almost at once.

 

Their ship was gone by the time he made his way back to their guest quarters.

 

***  
  
Guide hugged Rachel, squeezing her tightly and weeping loudly.

 

He stood back, watching and waiting for the alien to finish his goodbyes.

 

“We’ll come back, I promise. I’ll bring the others with me next time.” Rachel seemed a bit sad to leave, not even resisting the grip Guide had on her.

 

“Yes, yes. That will be good. We will have many stories to tell.” Guide started to pull away, wailed, and embraced her again. “No more sad stories!”

 

She laughed, hugging him back. “No more sad stories. Thank you for everything you’ve done for us, Guide.”

 

He stepped forward when they finally pulled away, placing the small stasis tank next to the alien. “Thanks for looking after him, Guide. I appreciate it. I don’t know what form he’ll take, but try to be gentle. He’s really out of touch with his emotions.”

 

Guide smiled, though he still looked a little weepy. “I will do my best. Return when you have more memories to share.”

 

He smiled, shaking Guide’s hand and accepting the hug, before he turned to lead Rachel back to the Bug fighter. “You’re going to miss him.”

 

“Not a chance.” She glanced over her shoulder at the alien waving sadly at them and relented. “Ok, maybe a little. He’s so honest it’s weird.”

 

The door sealed behind them and he flopped down in the pilot chair, flipping a few switches over his head.

 

Rachel sat down, watching him intently. “We could still go back, kick the canister off the side, you know.”

 

He smiled. “It’s ok. Trust me, leaving him with the Iskoort will drive him crazy, and that’s better than anything else I could do to him.”

 

She shook her head, leaning over one of the screens. “You’re a better man than me, if I had Tarmin in hand, I would squash her. I wouldn’t even feel bad about it later, and I mostly like Jardeth.”

 

He was glad the Yeerk that had been assigned to Rachel had decided to stay on planet. “You never talk about her.”

 

Rachel grunted, toggling another display.

 

He let her avoid the question without pressing. The best thing to do with Rachel was to wait her out.  

 

“He’s a bit of a prick, but I think he’s starting to grow on me. Most of the voluntaries are.” She kept working the display, thoughtful. “I don’t think I could do it.”

 

“Nobody would ask you to.” The ship lifted gracefully from the landing pad, leaving the world behind.

 

She nodded. “I know, but Cassie did, once. She let one of them into her head. I couldn’t. I just…when I woke of and Tarmin was there, and I wasn’t dead… I wanted to die. In all the years that I spent as a controller that feeling never faded. Six years is a long time to spend wanting to die, Tom. That’s longer than the war lasted.”

 

He kept his eyes on his display.

 

She lifted a shaky hand to her face, but he couldn’t tell if she was crying or not. “When we woke up and they were gone, you were just…in charge. You had a direction you were going. I was still lost; waiting for the axe to fall, but you knew what you were doing. I’ve always been a follower, Tom. I was the one that is the easiest to risk.” She was crying now, her shoulders trembling slightly. “I knew I wasn’t going to survive the war. What was I going to do? The others, they all had plans, things they needed to do, I couldn’t see a place for me once the war was over. It was almost a relief when Jake sent me away.”

 

He reached out for her, not sure if she wanted to be touched right now, her hand reached for his and latched onto it.

 

“I didn’t know how to do it, Tom. I didn’t want to kill you, but I didn’t know how to do anything else.”

 

They broke free of the atmosphere, and he tapped a few commands into his display to make sure the ship didn’t hit anything before he leaned to hug his cousin.

 

The tight grip on his hands transferred into an even tighter grip on his body, but he didn’t mind.

 

“I wanted you to be Jake. I wanted you to treat me like Jake did at the height of the war, to push me to take risks. But you weren’t. You’re so stupid and gentle and you just want to do good that you won’t use me.”

 

She sounded angry with him for that, he circled his hand against her back, not interrupting.

 

“I hate you sometimes. You make me want to see this though, and I’ve spent so much of my time fighting or waiting to die. That’s all I know how to do. Cassie would fit better on your crew. You know that? She would love this, the aliens, everyone working together.” But she didn’t let go, her arms still tight around him despite the awkwardness of the cockpit.

 

“I don’t want Cassie, Rachel.” He settled his hand against the back of her head. “I want you here, Sunshine. I want us to both get a chance to fix all of the damaged parts of ourselves. I spent most of the war waiting to die. Wanting it, sometimes, because selfishly I didn’t want to see people suffer anymore. My death wouldn’t have ended anything, but it would have ended me. But I want to live now, and I want you to live too. I want us both to go home. And maybe there isn’t a place for us there, Rachel. Maybe we’re too different, maybe we’ve experienced too much to ever stay on planet. But there’s a place for us here, and nobody is going to make you or anyone on this ship stay on Earth if that’s not what you want.”

 

She drew a shuddering breath. “I was ready. I knew I was going to die. I knew you were going to die. And then you called me that stupid name, nobody else has called me that since that stupid play, you realize? Nobody. You and your stupid nicknames.”

 

He laughed. “But you wanted to be Annie so bad, Rachel. It was funny. It was a good memory. I just…wanted you to know I was ok. That I understood. That you were doing what was needed.”

 

She untangled her hand enough to punch his shoulder lightly.

 

“Ow.”

 

She settled her head against his shoulder. “It wasn’t the right thing.”

 

He smiled faintly, rubbing her back. “Hindsight, right?”

 

She nodded, pulling away and wiping her face. “Pilot the ship, Tom.”

 

He settled back into his chair, watching her.

 

“I’m not going to jump out the window.” She took a deep breath. “I’m glad they’re gone.”

 

“Me too. It was never going to be fully over with them in the pool.”

 

She nodded, looking out the view port. “So now we start the next part.”

 

He turned off the autopilot, adjusting their course to take them back to the Odyssey. “Yep. This is the hard part. Dusting off and putting it behind us.”

 

Her lips twitched.

 

He smiled at her.

 

***  
  
 “Captain on the bridge!”

 

He waved the sudden attention away, moving to Jardeth.

 

The crew quickly went back to what they were doing, heads down as they prepared the ship for space.

 

Jardeth was working quickly at his station, focused entirely on the information he was still calculating in. “Captain.”

 

“Navigator. I thought the course was locked?” He watched Jardeth work, fascinated by how quickly the maps were pulled up and cast aside.

 

“Triple checking. I don’t want to end up inside a sun, you know. Need to work on my tan, but not that quickly.” There was a quick, sardonic smile, but he didn’t lift his head.

 

He rolled his eyes. “Did the sisters give you everything you need before they left?”

 

“Between them and the Iskoort I have the most complete star maps in the verse. They didn’t even bother to download them themselves. I think the Andalites will probably mentally scream with impotent rage.” Jardeth was grinning now, his fingers dancing over the keypad. “I can get us home, and I can get us from one side of the galaxy to the other without being afraid of imbedding us in an unknown moon.”

 

He grinned. “Sure you don’t want to stay here?”

 

Jardeth broke his eye contact with the screen to give him a dirty look. “There is nothing you could offer me that would make me want to stay on crazy leggo planet, thank you. We’ve chosen our path, deal with it.”

 

He laughed. “I’m glad to have you on board.”

 

Jardeth squinted for a moment, forehead furrowed. “You really mean that, and I think that makes you crazy, Captain. But I’m glad to be on board. So I think I’ll stick around for awhile.”

 

“When will you be done triple checking your calculations for the jump points?”

 

He grumbled faintly, fidgeting with his screens. “We could jump in about fifteen minutes; I’m just locking in now. Have we got everyone on board that needs to be on board and everyone off the ship that needed the boot?”

 

“Yeah, we do.”

 

“Good. I never liked that guy anyway.”

 

He snorted. “After we get underway, you need to take some downtime. You’ve been pushing yourself to get the nav computer to talk to the new information.”

 

Jardeth shrugged. “It needs to be done, and there’s nobody else that can do it. Don’t worry, Captain, I’ve been walking some of them through how. They’ll learn. Will’s pretty quick at it already.”

 

William was the youngest member of the crew that hadn’t been born to it, he had only been ten when they left Earth. Now at sixteen, he was quiet but remarkably stable, if always underfoot wanting to understand things. “Will would be the one that was most likely to pick it up.”

 

“Kid has a head for alien tech. Wasted on that low level they stuck him with.”  Jardeth shrugged. “If we’re not careful he’s going to start taking things apart, he needs something to do. You’d think he’d be skittish of aliens after being a controller for half of his life, but it seems to have just stripped him of anything approaching caution.”

 

“I’ll keep an eye on it.”

 

“Jocelyn has a few planets she wants to stop by; they’re mapped but flagged as unexplored. You might explain that prime directive you intend to stick to, even if we’ve already broken it.”

 

He snorted, rubbing his thumb over the tips of his fingers. “I’m not sure it counts.”

 

“Well, depends on whose law we’re following. If we’re going by the Andalite version, we’re all equally guilty of having our hands on tech that we’re not supposed to. Don’t know what the Kelbrid have regarding that sort of thing. Yeerks take what they can get, and you have inherited our hodgepodge of stolen alien tech.” Jardeth shrugged, still not looking up from the sequence he was checking. “I think as long as we don’t drop dracon beams on any unsuspecting farmers we’re probably ok.”

 

He snorted. “I think Jocelyn mostly wants to observe, not arm the masses.”

 

“I can never tell with you humans. Sometimes you get freakishly altruistic. In completely impractical ways.” He glanced up. “I’ve set us up to spend a few days out after each jump, just to give me time to recheck everything and check our scanners. Any objections?”

 

He shook his head, looking at the series of jumps. “How long will it take us?”

 

“About six months, mostly because we’re going to need to fly a little bit of it straight, unless you really want to get to Earth in a weird split time period. Z-space is useful, but we’ll need to be careful.” Jardeth studied him for a moment. “Do you want to give the order, Captain?”

 

His heart jumped a little, and he swallowed the last bit of the nerves. “Guess it’s time, isn’t it?”

 

He moved to the chair, sitting down as gracefully as he could manage with his heart racing and his palms sweating.

 

He ran a few lines through his head, trying to adjust to what he needed to say, the confidence he needed to project.

 

Earth in six months. The first step in a long journey. “Odyssey, this is your captain speaking. We’re about to enter Z-space. Please secure all cargo and return to your assigned station.”

 

 

***  
  
The moment they came out of Z-space the comms were blaring with a distress signal, keyed to Yeerk frequencies.

 

“Shields! Scan!” After months of this, he was starting to get used to giving the orders without thinking about the fact that they might not be followed.

 

“Eight Andalite fighters perusing an unknown ship. Ship is blaring distress signals, fourteen life signs on board the ship. She’s badly hurt, Captain. Should I put her on screen?” Will looked up from his post, hand hovering over the comm. button.  

 

“Ship is Ongachic.” Jardeth was working fiercely, quickly recalibrating a jump point.

 

“Bring up audio and image, don’t share our side yet.”

 

The alien that appeared on the screen looked like a Klingon, which was perhaps the most startling thing. It took him a moment to switch gears in his head to follow the Galard. “Thank the Kandrona, Blade Ship, where did you come from? My engines are about to give out, I could use a little bit of assistance here!”

 

“Are the fighters trying to hail us?”

 

Will shook his head. “No sir, they’ve paused. I think we surprised them.”

 

His lips twitched faintly. “I bet we surprised them. Maneuver to get between the Ongachic ship and the fighters. Security, I need a squad to the docking bay. We’re about to have visitors. Engineering, you’re going to want to get that ship under control quickly.” He toggled off the internal comm. “Give me voice and visual with the Ongachic ship.”

 

Will nodded, quickly working on his station.

 

“How many do you have on board?”

 

“Just me. I have cargo if you need hosts, but it’s been slim pickings on the edge of the galaxy since the council fell. How did you manage to keep a Blade Ship intact?”

 

He sneered in a practiced expression that always felt wrong on his face. “That isn’t any concern of yours. We’re bringing you on board. Is your fighter armed?”

 

“These dapsen story-tellers don’t believe in arming ships. Tell that to the Andalites, though, they won’t believe you.”

 

He snorted, eying the alien on the screen. “Name and designation.”

 

“Telric 359, Sub-Visser, sir. I’m slowing down to let you pick me up.” The Ongachic face didn’t seem to be meant for smiling, but the Yeerk tried.

 

“Good, Telric 359, you know who I am. You will submit yourself to my security team once you are on board and you and your cargo will be tested anything harmful to my crew.”

 

“Yes, Sub-Visser.”

 

He hung up on the alien, narrowing his eyes a little before he reached for the comm. again. “Medical, we’re going to need a team. Jardeth prepare to jump as soon as we have the Ongachic ship on board.”

 

Melissa’s voice offered a brief assent over the comm. device in his ear.

 

He stared at the screen, wondering if that was a good or a bad omen for their return to space they knew.

 

***  
  
He barely spared a glance for the controller surrounded by security as he walked into the bay.

 

The Andalites had retreated the moment they had advanced, and he almost wanted to be a fly on that wall when they reported back to command.

 

Melissa met him at the door to the freighter, her lips pressed into a thin line.

 

“Well?”

 

“You’re not going to like it.”

 

He shook his head. “I already don’t like it. What’s the condition?”

 

She motioned for him to follow, stepping up into the hold of the ship. The rest of her medical team hovered anxiously there, only one alien he didn’t recognize currently in their care.

 

It looked sleepy and not altogether prepared to do anything dangerous, but was talking softly in heavily accented Galard with Emily.

 

Melissa walked past them, moving deeper into the dim hold, past the tiny Yeerk pool with the familiar restraints.

 

“It’s weird to find one alone.”

 

“From what she told security, many of the remnants are drifting into trafficking. Not just for hosts, but also for exotic pets. The Andalites are trying to mop things up, but there is money to be made.” Melissa was quiet, and he stared at the back of her head. “One or two Yeerks alone is much easier to hide than an entire ship of them.”

 

She wasn’t giving any hints, and that worried him more.  

 

“Pets?”

 

“Alien species that aren’t really available to the universe at large. Many of them host species that the Yeerks have conquered.”

 

He felt an uncomfortable pit form in his stomach, and from the way that Melissa’s hand was subtly resting against her stomach, she was feeling the same way.

 

“Melissa…”

 

She looked over her shoulder at him. “It’s better for you to see.” She motioned him ahead.

 

Two of the medical crew were kneeling next to the cage, speaking softly to the occupants who were barely visible in their shadowed corner.

 

There were at least a few human children in the tiny pile of misery, but he couldn’t pick out exactly how many of them there were. He recognized the wide, frightened eyes of Gedd children, and noted at least one alien species that he didn’t recognize.

 

The smell in the hold was terrible, unwashed bodies, sweat, and urine. But it was nothing compared to the sight of them huddled together.

 

He sank to a crouch before he quite processed the scene, his eyes wide with horror.

 

The children shrank back, faces mostly hidden in the arrangement of arms and legs and fur.

 

“Oh god.”

 

“Six humans, three Mak, one Ongachic, and two Gedd.” Melissa was quiet, but the words full of emotion. “The other alien is a Sstram. He is suffering from some ill effects from the cold, but is otherwise fine. Telis is conducting the intake interview for him, and I think he will likely remain on board.”

 

He was hearing her without hearing her, staring at the tiny twisting pile of fur and flesh in the cage.

 

“Tom?” Melissa reached for his shoulder.

 

A little voice from inside the cage spoke up. “Tom?”

 

His heart sank to his stomach as the tiny boy untangled himself from the resisting pile of children.

 

He was dirty and skinny and his eyes were wide and wild. The distance from two to eight was not a small one.

 

But he looked like Saddler, and like Jake, and he could do the math.

 

“Hey Forest.” He wasn’t sure how the words made it out of his mouth, because his throat felt dry and his tongue felt numb. “Are you going to introduce me to your friends?”

 

Forest looked over his shoulder at the other children for a moment, and then shook his head.

 

“That’s ok, I can meet them later.” He extended his hand to the little boy. “Why don’t you come here and let me look at you?”

 

Forest gave him a look that was completely out of place on a child’s face, full of wariness now that he was away from the safety of the other children.

 

“No Yeerks, Forest. Just me.” He smiled weakly, wishing he had some way to prove it.

 

Forest watched him for another moment before slowly walking to stand in front of him, reaching out to trace the lines of his smile on his face.

 

He let him, resting his elbows on his knee, blowing weakly on fingertips as they passed over his lips.

 

Forest leaned forward, resting his forehead against his rather than hugging him. “Smile.”

 

“Yeah?” He kept the smile, though it felt tired and unhappy.

 

Forest wrinkled up his nose and made an expression that looked more like a grimace than a grin. “Smile.”  
  
He took a deep breath, blocking out the smell of the hold and of the little boy leaning against him. “Yeerks don’t do that very often, do they?”

 

Forest shook his head.

 

“We smile a lot here.”   
  
Forest shifted to press against his neck, still not putting his arms around him. He cautiously lifted his own arm to wrap around the little boy, careful to watch for any sign that he was uncomfortable.

 

Forest sighed, nuzzling against his shoulder. “Cold.”

 

“My friend Melissa is going to get you and the others all warmed up. Are you hungry?”

 

Melissa was hovering behind him, eyes on the child.

 

Forest nodded, and at least a few of the other children perked up, paying attention to the goings on outside their cell.

 

It took them a further twenty minutes of coaxing to get the other children out of the cage. They were sleepy, chilled and clearly starving, but they were out and accepting being loaded onto beds to be taken to medical.

 

He tucked the blankets around Forest, smoothing dirty hair out of his face and smiling for the little boy.

 

Forest reached for his face again and he leaned to let him touch.

 

“I’ll be right behind you, kiddo. You be good for Melissa, ok?”

 

Forest nodded quietly, closing his eyes.

 

Melissa’s hand brushed against his arm for just a moment, and then the little beds with the little bodies were gone.

 

“Am’il, make sure the ship is clean and there are no other surprises.” He was shocked, again, that he had managed to speak. His voice was toneless and flat.

 

Am’il glanced up at him, but nodded quickly, moving back into the guts of the damaged machine.

 

He was moving before he had even decided the destination, striding across the hold to the prisoner.

 

Rachel glanced at him before quietly stepping out of his path.

 

“Where did you pick up your cargo, Telric?”

 

The Ongachic-controller grinned, clearly unaware of its danger. “The Svian moon base, where else? It’s one of the few breeding facilities that the Andalites haven’t found yet. They’ve got a good genetic stock, too, so very little inbreeding. The little Ongachic is my host’s grub, male, though. The females are much easier to sell. Shame, but I can probably still get a profit from him.”   
  
The dracon beam was in his hand before he quiet realized what he was doing, and from the way Telric’s eyes widened, the controller hadn’t been expecting it either. “I’m going to make this fast, Telric. I told you a little lie earlier. This is a human ship. Not a Yeerk ship. We rescued you because of your cargo, not because of some lingering loyalty to the empire. Now, you have a choice. Either you leave your host right now and I put you in stasis, or I am going to take great pleasure in watching you suffer through the Fugue.”

 

Telric’s eyes remained wide. “what-wha? Are you joking?! What are you talking about? A <i>human</i> ship? What sort of…”

 

He adjusted the setting on the dracon beam. “You have thirty seconds, Telric, and then I stun you and toss you into a cell to starve.”

 

None of the security team around him moved.

 

Telric stared at him.

 

“Ten.”

 

“Alright! Alright! I’m leaving, just don’t let her squash me.”

 

He kept the dracon beam trained on the alien until the Yeerk slithered out of her ear, reaching to snatch it before she finished shaking off its control.

 

She glared at him, her face pulled into a snarl, one hand resting against her ear. “That’s my kill, human.”

 

“I’m sorry. I need it to provide coordinates to my navigator. Rachel.”

 

His cousin stepped forward, glancing at the Yeerk in his hand. “You better hand that off to someone else before you squish it, Tom.”  
  
He forced his hand to relax, passing it to one of the security team. “Get that in the pool, and get Jardeth down there.”

 

“Yes sir.”

 

***  
  
Jonathan Hendrik Chapman had been born two weeks before his due date after a mishap with a gravity storm as they came out of z-space. Melissa’s son was one of the many happy moments he had experienced after the Yeerks had been dragged out of their heads.

 

He had nicknamed the little boy Ember, and Melissa had seemed alternately amused by him and faintly annoyed that nobody used her son’s real name.

 

He was very rarely sent to one of the former hosts that had appointed themselves babyminders, which meant he was often in the medical facility.

 

Melissa was busy with the other children, busy enough that Ember’s soft fussing had not caught her attention yet.

 

He lifted him out of his crib, settling him into his arms and tucking his nose against his head. He couldn’t make his hands stop shaking, which meant he probably shouldn’t be handling the baby, but he also wasn’t allowed in the medical bay right now and there was nothing else he could do that was even remotely useful.

 

“Hey little Ember.” He breathed out, forcing his hands to stop shaking against his little back. “Your mommy is working, little guy.”

 

The baby fussed for a moment longer before he settled, little mouth still working at air.

 

“Yeah, I know. I’m sorry for keeping her so busy all the time.” Even in space, Ember smelled like a baby. It was a good, soothing smell and was a better balm for his frayed temper than anything else possibly could have been.

 

He needed the little guy, sometimes. He might play with the other kids, but Ember was something slightly different, even if he wouldn’t be able to explain why if anyone had asked.

 

Nobody had asked, instead they had just seemed to embrace the fact that Ember was different, or at least indulge his insistence that the baby was.

 

He rocked Ember against his shoulder, circling his hand against his back. “She’ll be done soon, I’m sure. Your mommy is pretty good at her job.”

 

He hoped, anyway. He wasn’t expecting miracles. But Melissa could get them clean, and fed, and anything physically wrong with them tended to.

 

The rest would take time and patience.

 

He closed his eyes, clutching Ember close to his shoulder, keeping an ear out for any sounds of distress past the closed doors.

 

He didn’t know why he thought he would be able to hear anything, the doors were sound proofed. That was done on purpose.

 

“I’m really out of it, Ember. Forgive me, little man.”

 

“Are you talking to the baby again?” Rachel was giving him a thoughtful look from the door, one eyebrow raised.

 

He made a face at her. “He can understand me.”

 

“He’s not going to start talking back for at least another couple of months.”

 

“Maybe I just wanted a captive audience.” He took a deep breath, feeling tense all over again.

 

“That seems to be a thing for you today.”

 

He turned away, moving to one of the view ports with the baby rather than engage his cousin.

 

Rachel was quiet, glancing at the door that led deeper into the medical facility.

 

The Yeerks did not design things to account for concerned family members, the doors were opaque and he would know nothing from within until Melissa rejoined them.

 

“What happened?”

 

“Forest.”

 

She blinked for a moment, clearly uncomprehending. “Oh.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

She frowned at the door. “Is he?”

 

“He recognized me. That’s all I know.” He rocked Ember in his arms, staring at the view port, unable to stop watching her reflection, even with his attention seemingly diverted.

 

Rachel sighed. “Our dads must have done something for our family to be this cursed.”

 

He laughed hollowly, the noise making Ember whimper in his arms. “Yeah, let’s blame them.”

 

She gave him a concerned look. “It’s not your fault, Tom.”

 

Like hell it wasn’t.

 

“Hypocrite. Don’t tell everyone else they need to let things go if you can’t do it yourself.”

 

He felt his temper deflate like a popped balloon, and somehow managed to not give his cousin a dirty look.

 

“Yeah, I know. You’re the clever one and I’m the blunt one. It happened, it sucks. So now we fix it. Blaming yourself won’t help Forest or any of those kids.”

 

“I hate it when you do that.”

 

She tossed her hair. “Now you know how everyone else feels, Captain.”

 

***  
  
The silence that they had settled into had stopped being uncomfortable. It was strange to find that Rachel was one of the easiest people to deal with, their shared history was now far outnumbered by the years they had spent as enemies.

 

He held Ember, rocking the infant as he slept. Rachel watched, her eyes still narrowed, but not arguing with him further.

 

She was thinking about their family too, he was sure.

 

“Is this a family conversation, or can outsiders join in?” Melissa’s voice was gentle, breaking the silence.

 

Rachel snorted. “You’re practically family.”

 

They exchanged a look, one he wasn’t entirely sure he followed, and Melissa smiled, crossing the room to take Ember from him. “They’re all resting now. You can see Forest, if you like, but try not to excite them. They need rest and fluids more than they need anything now. Time will tell if we can repair the rest.”

 

He nodded quickly; making sure Ember was settled in her arms before he moved away from her. “Thank you, Melissa.”

 

She smiled quietly. “It’s my job, Captain. And I’m glad I could help them.”

 

He smiled at her, touching her shoulder lightly. “He was fussy; I think all the excitement got to him.”

 

She looked down at the sleeping baby. “But you got him back to sleep. Thank you, Tom.”

 

Rachel cleared her throat, and he pulled away, moving to the doors that held the kids.

 

The Mak had pilled into the same bed, their IVs carefully arranged so as not to get tangled. The human and Gedd children had been placed in their own beds, and that made him wonder

 

But the children were all either asleep or nearing there.

 

He walked past the beds, aware that he was being watched by the ones still awake. Forest was clinging to a pillow, curled around it with his eyes mostly closed.

 

He smiled, crouching down by the bed. “Hey Forest, how are you doing?”

 

Forest echoed the smile tiredly. “Stuck. Lots of sticks.”

 

“Yeah, you were sick. The Doctor was making you better.”

 

Forest nodded. “Stay?”

 

He reached out, running his fingers through his cousin’s hair. The boy startled at the contact, and then relaxed, closing his eyes. “Yeah, kiddo, I’ll stay. And you’re not going anywhere.”

 

He didn’t know what else he could offer, nothing but the fragile hope that the Odyssey represented.

 

He had promised to take these people home, and now…now…

 

If Forest was out here, how many other people had been caught up in the fragments of the Yeerk Empire remaining? Not just the humans, but the other people.

 

There was a part of him that said to let the Andalites handle it, to accept that they were the big guys in the galaxy and were going to poke their noses in anyway.

 

Well, figuratively. They didn’t really have noses.

 

Stick their hooves in?

 

Regardless of the semantics, there were people out here. People still suffering. Children who had been taken from their parents, people who had been taken from their planets.

 

He had promised.

 

But…

 

He kept running his fingers through Forest’s hair, aware that Rachel had joined them, but too lost in his thoughts to engage her.

 

She for whatever reason left him to his silence, waiting for him to make up his mind.

 

***  
  
 “Will, where is Jardeth right now?”

 

There were times his life felt like a Star Trek episode, minus the theme song and the surety that everything would go his way.

 

“Uh…he’s down in the Greens, you want me to comm. him and tell him you need him?”

 

He glanced at his watch. “No, he’s off cycle right now, I just need to ask him a question real quick, I’ll go to him.”

 

“Got it, Captain.”

 

He turned the comm. off as he walked, wondering about the weird turns that his life had taken.

 

The Green was probably the most beautiful part of the ship, a large, open area full of trees and plants and water features that had been designed for Visser 3. It was one of the best social areas on the ship.

 

It was also where the teachers taught the children.

 

Would Forest and the other join them? They were a little older, but he was sure something could be arranged. The Gedd would probably end up in Am’il’s care and the Ongachic child…well. His mother hadn’t been near him in the three weeks they had spent in the hospital wing. He wasn’t sure what to take from that. Had he just been handed an alien child?

 

There were also the Mak kittens to worry about. How to avoid humanizing them? He didn’t have any adult references of their species on board.

 

He had no idea how they were meant to act, and the mannerisms they were picking up were all those of their human caretakers. Should he just give up and try to do the best he could by them?

 

Jardeth was sitting with a little girl on his lap-actually, no, probably Peter. Shit.

 

He chewed on his lip, debating coming back later.

 

He didn’t want to interrupt Peter’s time; he took up enough of that by his dependence on Jardeth.

 

Jardeth glanced up from whatever he’d been doing, climbing to his feet quickly, still holding the little girl. “Captain?”

 

“Hi, sorry.” It was Jardeth, and he found himself at a loss for words for a moment.

 

The Yeerk smiled, bouncing the little girl in his arms. “Say hello to Captain Berenson, Natalie.”

 

The toddler grinned at him, her face half hidden by his shoulder. “Hi Captain.”

 

He gave her a small smile. “Hello, Natalie. It’s nice to meet you.”

 

Natalie grinned happily, arms going secure around Jardeth’s neck. “Nice to meet you too.”

 

“Good girl.” Jardeth ruffled her hair. “I have to get back to work, kiddo. Be good for your teacher, ok?”

 

She nodded, kissing both cheeks and then resting her forehead against his for a moment. “I’ll be good, Papa. Bye daddy.”   
  
Jardeth stroked her cheek, setting her down and giving her a gentle push towards the other kids.

 

He watched, confused and wordless, as the little girl took just enough steps to be out of reach and turned to face him.

 

“Captain Tom! Can I go home yet?”

 

“Natalie! We talked about this.” Jardeth frowned and made a shooing motion.

 

The child gave him a disappointed look, but obediently ran to join the other children.

 

“What did she mean?”

 

Jardeth grimaced. “She wants to move back to our quarters. We’ve explained why she can’t.”

 

“She’s Peter’s daughter?” He felt like he’d missed something.

 

Jardeth laughed. “She’s <i>my</b> daughter, and Peter’s, and Emily’s, and Telis’s daughter. But mostly she’s Natalie.”

 

He frowned faintly, wondering if he’d bumped his head somewhere.

 

Jardeth smiled. “Sorry, Captain, but you don’t know how reassuring your total ignorance on this subject is. We wanted a baby, Telis wove the lies she needed to tell and we got one. Had to be willing hosts, she said, because otherwise the stress could harm both the grub and the host. Had to be agreeable or the sedatives we use could cause mutations. She’s the reason we pulled it off, Telis. All but two of the babies on the ship were born to partnerships, all of whom wanted to be a part of it. We lied to ourselves, we lied to the sub-visser, and we hid what we were doing. A baby can’t be infested, they’re worthless. A toddler, not even as good as a Gedd. We made excuses. But…she’s four now, she’s mobile and intelligent. A few more months and the sub-visser would have come knocking, asking about her.”

 

He blinked. “What were you going to do?”

 

Jardeth shrugged. “We hadn’t decided yet, and then you took over and it was no longer a problem. They’re safe. So, what do you need?”

 

He glanced at the children playing beneath the watchful eyes of their caretakers. “Why didn’t you say anything? It’s been months.”

 

Jardeth gave him a quietly sardonic look. “Yeerks don’t have kids, Captain. They’re not capable of it. Eventually, we would have worked in enough that they wouldn’t have freaked out over us looking after our host’s kids. We were being patient, waiting for things to finish working themselves out. The six in the pool are also my people.”   
  
There was a slight emphasis there; Jardeth wanted him to know how deeply the rebellion had run.

 

Iniss had never had a clue, had bought into the lies being crafted without complaints.

 

“Damnit, Jardeth, I would have made sure they were with you if I knew. You know that!”

 

Jardeth laughed. “I do, and that’s why I’m still following you. You are by far the best commander I’ve served under. But you have a fragile crew, and you would have done something impulsive and heroic that might have risked that at the beginning stages. Now it’s no big deal, we play with our kids, we eat meals with them. They just…sleep in the crèche. We can be out with them, openly. We can laugh and talk and tease and use their names. It’s slow, but it’s worth it. We’re showing the entire crew that we’re not going to hurt them.”

 

He frowned at his navigator, not sure why the entire situation bothered him so deeply.

 

“Look, don’t worry about it. You’re doing a good job, I know you have that ‘people are hiding things’ thing, but this was really us working for the crew. We’re getting what we wanted. And nobody had to get shoved in the airlock for it to happen.”

 

He blew out a breath. “I’ll talk to the caretakers.”

 

“Yeah, sure, you do that. Now tell me what you’re down here for in the first place.”

 

“I need the coordinates.”

 

Jardeth sighed. “Yeah, I thought you might. We going to do this?”

 

He took a deep breath, thinking of Forest. “I think we’re going to take a vote. I promised these people I’d get them home again, and I will. We just might take a few detours first.”

 

***   
  
There was some debate among his command crew over how much should be told to the rest. Jardeth claimed that giving them all the details would be unfair; Rachel had nearly hit him for suggesting that people might not want to think of combat.   
  
In the end, he told them the entire story, everything they knew and what they had already speculated. He told them about the ship, about the cargo, knowing that a fragmented version had already made the rounds of the ship gossip mill.   
  
He told them the condition of the children, and what they were doing as they attempted to fix the problem.  
  
He told them what Jardeth had retrieved from the slave trader.  
  
And then he waited, watching the faces of his crew, glancing around the room at he weighed their responses.  
  
Everyone was quiet, waiting.  
  
He took a deep breath. "So, we have a decision to make. I promised I'd bring everyone here home, and I intend to keep that promise. But there are others who made it off planet, and Hork-Bajir, Mak, Gedd, and other sentient aliens who are in danger. We are in a position to do something about it, we have the coordinates and we have a navigator who can get us there. Now, we can continue on the way we are going, following the course we've already charted, we’ll be back to Earth within three months. After that, we can come back, those of us who still want to. Or we can turn aside, knowing that it will put months or potentially years between us and home. This isn't a decision I felt that only a few should be consulted on, it's something that could effect you as well. If we do this, I can't promise you will be safe. There will be fighting, and some of you may be hurt or killed." He glanced around. "Does anyone have anything to say before we vote?”

 

Will shifted on his seat, then raised his hand, standing slowly. “Can I, Captain?”

 

He nodded, motioning for Will to come to the front, but the boy shook his head, remaining standing by a bench.

 

“Most of you probably know me; I’m William, junior navigation officer and communication officer. I uh….I was infested when I was eight. To watch my dad, he was the police captain. A lot of you have similar experiences.” The boy looked to Jardeth, but the Yeerk was silent and still. “These kids-they’re like me. Like us. We can leave them to the Andalites, but the Andalites won’t know what to do with them. We’re…we know what we’re doing. It might be longer to earth, but I think…I think we should do it. We can’t leave them for the Andalites to rescue, if they ever do.” He swallowed, neck going red, and sat down quickly. “Thanks.”

 

Jardeth frowned faintly, touching his shoulder as he stood.

 

It was a surprisingly human gesture, coming from the Yeerk, and he had stopped trying to figure out if the Yeerk or Peter was behind the gestures.

 

“Look, there’s something you need to think about. All of you. You’re newly recovered; don’t throw yourself into something because you think it’s the right thing to do. There is a very real chance that someone might die if we undertake this. The Yeerks won’t be voting, this is an issue for the humans, the Hork-Bajir and the Gedd to decide. We will follow whatever the crew decides.” Jardeth sat down, and then in a surprising show of his complete lack of involvement, turned his head and left his host. 

 

Peter smiled sheepishly, curling the hand holding the Yeerk into his body. “If this is going to take awhile, I need to go put him in the pool.”

 

He nodded.

 

He smiled weakly at the crew. “Well. Let’s vote.”

 

He expected it to be split, expected some to not want to fight further.

 

The vote was nearly unanimous.

 

 

***  
  
The one thing he hadn’t taken into account was that their skirmish with the Andalites had been noted and had spread quicker than they had traveled.

 

They actually managed to dock with the moon without any problems, stating their intention to purchase hosts.

 

It had required a slight change in their plans, and a lot more direct dealing with the alien in charge than he had entirely meant to.

 

By the fifth day of negotiations, he was ready to push her out a window and Jardeth had complete control of their security system.

 

On the sixth day, Rachel and her team overthrew the base with as few casualties as possible.

 

They hadn’t managed to avoid them entirely, but it had been surprisingly bloodless. Much better than targeting them from orbit.

 

Jardeth had taken out half of the with their own security system.  

 

Rachel lumbered up to him, still morphed, huge body flecked with blood.

 

“Alright, Gentle Ben, let’s see if we can actually get some work done now that you’ve had your fun.”

 

Rachel grunted, rising up on her hind legs. < Look around, I’ve been working. >

 

He looked away when she started to demorph, still not used to watching his cousin melt out of the bear. “You’re been playing around, don’t try to fool me.”

 

She rolled her neck, reaching to snatch her equipment belt from him. “Sure. But that’s because I haven’t been able to really fight in years. Go from guerilla warfare to sitting on a ship, watching a Yeerk take over my life.”

 

He gave her a sympathetic look. “Well, we’re not going to go looking for battles like this, but you and your team preformed well.”

 

She grinned. “Of course they did. You let them off their leashes. So, Captain Hugs, how are we going to deal with them?”

 

He pressed his lips. “Jardeth is preparing a beacon; we’re going to set up ships with jump points to take the slaves back to their planets. For the slavers, we’re going to set them adrift and set off a beacon, let the Andalites take care of them.”

 

“I’m glad you’re the touchy feely one. Are we bringing them on board?”

 

He shrugged. “That’s up them, maybe some of them. Jardeth is doing interviews. There are five Leeran in one of the cells, Melissa is talking with them. That was we can get a good read on how honest people are being.”

 

“Blah, Leeren on board?” She scowled, adjusting her jacket and turning to do a visual check for her people.

 

“Don’t make that face; I’ve met a few of them before. They try not to read your mind unless they have to, our brains are working too hard and scattering into a million different directions. It’s distracting. One of them told me it was like sticking his head in a beehive. I don’t know if they’ll want to stay with a ship full of easily distractible humans.”

 

She shook her head. “I’ve met a few of them too, we went to Leeran once. I just don’t like the idea of something reading my mind. Reminds me of the Yeerks too much.”

 

He raised an eyebrow. “I really need to talk to your travel agent, Rachel. You’ve been to more alien planets than I have.”

 

She rolled her eyes. “We’ve also time traveled. Really you don’t want our travel agent, they’re slightly homicidal and I’m pretty sure were trying to kill us with dinosaurs. And that time with the Time Matrix…” She shuddered, shaking her head. “We’ve seen some weird shit.”

 

He stared at her. “I believe it.”

 

“And don’t even get me started on starfish.”

 

He made a questioning noise, but she just walked off, pretending she hadn’t heard.

 

 

***  
  
It took them seven days to finish processing the six thousand people the base had held. There were ships, enough that they could see the people home.

 

Melissa spent much of the time drifting through pockets of life, speaking quietly to the people they had rescued.

 

Jardeth and Will ducked between the tiny fleet of ships, teaching people how to use the navigation computers and setting Z-space coordinates to take them home with the minimum amount of fuss.

 

He would be lying if he said he wasn’t impressed with the way his crew had handled themselves. It had been long, exhausting work, but rewarding in its own way.

 

The Odyssey had something approaching a full crew, picked up from the press of humanity. The Leeran had helped, though he wasn’t sure he would ever get used to having the Lovecraftian horrors around.

 

“You’re smiling.”

 

He turned to look at Jardeth, raising an eyebrow. “Is that a problem?”

 

His navigator shrugged faintly. “Probably good for morale. But why are you smiling?”

 

He glanced down at the mingled press of sentient people. “It seems like things are going right for once. I like that.”

 

“Optimist.” Jardeth shook his head, stepping up to the rail next to him.

 

He laughed. “I’m too cynical to be accused of that. You ok?”

 

“Yeah, the kid is handling the last of the set up. Surrin is making one last pass through before we start loading everyone up.”

 

“There’s something you aren’t saying.”

 

Jardeth sighed. “Look, is this a thing you want to do? Bounce from base to base and rescue the enslaved and oppressed? Or do you want to go home?”

 

He frowned faintly. “Why…?”

 

Jardeth raked his hand through Peter’s hair, leaving the greasy strands standing on end. He, like many of the others, had been too busy to do much more than eat and sleep between the shifts he was pulling. “We download their information, Captain. Will has been sifting through it in the time he should probably be sleeping. We have the best cover in the universe for sneaking up and taking out these outposts.”

 

He looked down at the people.

 

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. Look we’ve got kids on board, Tom. One of them is mine. You’ve got your cousin and Melissa’s got her baby. We need to get those kids home before we run off to become intergalactic heroes. It worked this time; we had the element of surprise. But how soon before stories of a rogue blade ship start getting out there and people start targeting us because they don’t want us involved?” Jardeth leaned against the rail, looking down at them.

 

“Is that your tactical or your paternal opinion?”

 

Jardeth snorted. “Both, so take it that way. I don’t want Natalie getting hurt, but I’d also like to keep your fool head intact.”

 

“I’m never in danger of getting overconfident with you around, Jardeth.”

 

“Good, because you’re in constant danger of becoming a puff of ash when I’m not around.” 

 

He laughed, rubbing his face “So we have information on more bases, and you’re advising me not to follow up on it.”

 

Jardeth nodded. “We can leave it in the beacons for the Andalites if you want. From what Will has found, this was one of the largest. The others should be easy to take care of.”

 

“…there are going to be some very confused Andalites picking through this base.”

 

Jardeth smiled. “That’s my favorite kind of Andalite.”

 

***  
  
“You can stay, you know.” He leaned against the gangplank, watching her load her supplies.

 

Surrin had healed from her imprisonment, and Melissa had made a note that she would probably leave soon. He was learning to listen to Melissa’s instincts about people. She seemed to know. It was sort of uncanny.

 

The Ongachic smiled at him. “I thank you for the offer, Captain Tom. But I must go.”

 

He hesitated. “And Toch?”

 

She closed her eyes. “He remembers me as his tormenter, more than he remembers me as his mother. He is safe and happy, and will grow to be a strong, clever man among the children of Earth.”

 

He nodded. “You are welcome back, if we ever cross paths again. I am sure he will want to speak to you, when he is older.” Another alien child stranded among humans, like the Mak children.

 

There were nine adult Mak on board now, but they had all acted completely indifferent towards the cubs. Even the single female with cubs of her own had treated the kittens with coolness, and did not allow her cubs near them.

 

The Mak children had human names, and human mannerisms, and seemed to glory in their humanity.

 

“You will look after him?”

 

“Yes. He will be safe.”

 

She smiled again, a flash of bared teeth that meant something different to her people. “You take no pleasure in remaining safe. Among the Ongachic, there is a saying. To lead a safe life creates no stories. You will take him on an interesting journey, and when he returns to his people, he will hold many new tales in his heart. That is good. He will grow alongside the son of your bondmate, and that is also good.”

 

He wanted to ask what she meant, but she was stepping away, depressing the device that would close the door. “Good luck.”

 

She bowed her head slightly. “Thank you.”

 

He stepped back, giving the ship enough clearance to lift off.

 

He would miss her, she had been interesting, but he wouldn’t keep anyone on his ship against their will.

 

He watched the ship until it was out of sight, and turned to retreat further into the ship.

 

“She’s gone?”

 

He smiled tiredly at Melissa, nodding and reaching to take Ember from her arms. “She left Toch.”

 

Ember reached for his face, tugging on his lower lip and grinning when he wrinkled his nose. He was getting big, crawling already.

 

“I thought she might. He was very young when she was taken, and the impression she gave me was that she was afraid her infestation had damaged him. He’s happy.”  
  
He nodded, kissing Ember’s palms. “Do you think she’ll come back?”

 

Melissa shrugged. “Maybe, probably not for awhile. She needs time.”

 

Ember giggled, still tugging on his lip.

 

“Some people don’t need you to save them, Tom.”

 

“I know. It’s just difficult.” He hugged Ember to his chest, letting the baby play the buttons on his jacket.

 

“I know.” She tucked her arm through his, guiding him to the lifts. “But it will get easier. It already is. Six thousand, four hundred and seventeen people, Tom. That’s a big victory. Don’t let one person choosing to go their own way diminish that accomplishment.”

 

He sighed. “What would I do without you, Melissa?”

 

She laughed. “Mope more, probably, and not have a baby to steal and cuddle. That’s probably what.”

 

He smiled at her. “Well, I’m glad I don’t have to explore that possibility.”

 

She squeezed his arm, resting her head on his shoulder. “You never will.”

 

***  
  
They had been underway for almost a month when they dropped out of Z-space to an Andalite cruiser hailing them.

 

Jardeth went from relaxed to scowling in five seconds.

 

“Their shields are down, sir, and their weapons seem to also be deactivated. There’s no guarantee that it isn’t a trap.” Will caught his lip between his teeth, staring at the blinking light on the dash.

 

He frowned at the light, finally moving to sit down. “Put it on screen, audio and visual. Don’t return signal just yet.”

 

< Blade Ship, this is the Andalite cruiser Intrepid. We wish to talk, not to fight. >

 

The Andalite on screen was younger than he’d been expecting, and looked oddly familiar.

 

“Ax.”

 

He turned over his shoulder to look at his cousin, raising an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

 

She stared at the screen for another moment before she nodded. “I spent three years fighting at his side. It’s Ax.”

 

He grimaced, rubbing his hands on the arms of his chair. “Stand right where you are and keep your face about as calm as you can, ok?”

 

She frowned at him. “What are you going to do?”

 

“Test my welcome.” He grinned at her, nodding to Will. “Intrepid, this is the Odyssey. Mind telling me while you’re standing in our way?”

 

There was the slightest flicker of recognition in the alien’s stalk eyes, and a sudden tension in the Andalite on the screen, but beyond that he didn’t look at Rachel. <We were part of the clean up crew on the moon base. We were tasked with finding you, Odyssey.>

 

They watched each other for several long moments in silence, neither giving an inch as they took in the other.

 

“So you’ve found me, Intrepid. Now what?”

 

The Andalite let his gaze drift for a moment to Rachel. It was a lapse; it showed just how young he was to be captain of a cruiser. < I am _Aximili_ _-_ _Esgarrouth_ _-_ _Isthill_ , Prince of my people, and I think your ship is no longer a Yeerk ship. Where are you going, Odyssey, where have you been? >

 

Jardeth snorted, face settling against his hand.

 

He glanced back to Rachel. “Well, Sunshine?”

 

“We’re going home, Ax.” Rachel’s voice almost broke; there was a little hitch that spoke of greater emotion than she was currently showing. “We’ve been…..” She shook her head. “We’ve been everywhere. We went back to the Iskoort world. Guide says hello.”

 

He had never seen an Andalite get emotional before, angry, yes, but emotional no. It was sort of fascinating. “She’s not a controller.”

 

Aximili tensed, but nodded slightly, clearly not entirely trusting.

 

Rachel looked at him, he shrugged faintly.

 

She frowned, narrowing her eyes.

 

“I really would rather you didn’t.”

 

She rolled her eyes. “I would really rather you trust me, Tom.”

 

Aximili looked confused.

 

“Fine, I trust you. But it’s still an Andalite ship.” He sighed, looking at the very young Andalite prince who had once followed his brother. “She wants to come over, to prove she isn’t a controller. Is that acceptable?”

 

He really would rather she didn’t, he knew she trusted the Andalite, but he didn’t trust the others on the ship. The Intrepid was only about as big as they were, and probably had the same sort of payload as they did.

 

< I would like that. > The words were carefully neutral. < Are you coming over in a fighter? >

 

“Yes.” Rachel nodded quickly.

 

“She’ll be with one other person. You’re welcome to scan them for Yeerks, but I want them back after seventy two hours.”

 

Rachel scowled. “Who are you-“

 

He held up a hand and she fell resentfully silent. “Melissa Chapmen, I believe you know her father?”

 

The Andalite nodded again, reminding him of a human again. < I know of Miss Chapman, yes. I will return both women within seventy two of your hours, Captain. >

 

“Good.”

 

***  
  
He had retreated from the bridge, taking Forest from the medbay and Ember from Melissa before she left.

 

There had been a brief debate about if the baby should go with them, but in the end Melissa had allowed him to stay behind.

 

That had been twelve hours ago, twelve hours since he let two of the most important people to him, personally, leave his ship and his sphere of protection. It was nerve-wracking, no matter how much Rachel trusted the Andalite.

 

Forest was sitting on the floor of his quarters, playing the game that Jardeth and Melissa had worked together to design for the former controllers, played on a level that was acceptable for a child that was still learning fine control of his hands. Letters, words, without the clunky necessity of pencils and writing.

 

Forest was grinning as he played, even if the game was simple.

 

“You beat your high score?”

 

The boy nodded, grinning at him.

 

“Good for you, buddy.” He settled Ember against his shoulder, rocking the baby gently. He was fast asleep, content to be held while Tom read and kept an eye on Forest. “After a bit, you want to go get something from the Mess for dinner?”

 

Forest hesitated, looking from the door to the game, presented with two things he liked equally well and unsure which to pick.

 

“We can come back after we eat and you can work on the program a bit more.”

 

Forest nodded quickly. “Eat, then game.”

 

“Alright, Forest. You can finish that instance first.” The comm. beeped and he reached to toggle it. “This is Tom?”

 

“Captain, the Andalite Captain wishes to speak with you.” Will sounded distinctly nervous.

 

He sighed, resettling Ember against his shoulder. “Can you patch it through to my quarters?”

 

“Yes sir, doing that now.”

 

The comm. flickered off, and then flickered back on, with a small image of the Andalite Captain on the other end of it.

 

He settled back in his chair, watching the creature warily.

 

The Andalite studied him thoughtfully in return, attention shifting briefly to Ember before it focused fully on him. <It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Brother of Prince Jake.>

 

He frowned, shifting to put Ember down on his blanket. “Most people call me ‘Tom’, or ‘Captain’.”

 

The Andalite inclined his head in a very human gesture. <My apologies, Captain Tom. Rachel and Melissa have been telling me a lot about what has happened over the years that you have been gone. It is a relief to know that my friend is free and alive and that your ship is heading for Earth.>

 

He tapped his fingers on the desk, not sure what to say. “My crew will be very happy to return to their home as well, to be honest. That was our goal from the moment circumstances allowed it.”

 

The Andalite titled his head a bit. <Rachel tells me that it is not your only goal. That you seek the protection of other members of your crew who will perhaps not find as much welcome on Earth.>

 

Which was a lot of hedging. “You mean the Yeerks.”

 

< If you return with them to Earth, they will be required to surrender to the authorities and become Nothlits if they wish to continue to be free. >

 

“Cultural genocide, huh? That’s our new policy?” He scowled, still tapping his fingers on the desk.

 

< Freedom, from the need to take over other sentient life forms. > The Andalite’s voice was dry.

 

“All of the controllers I have on board are voluntaries, and I will not be handing them over to human authorities to split up a team that works.”

 

The Andalite’s eyes went a little wide, but he said nothing for a long moment. <That is what Rachel said you would say. We will need to proceed with caution, Captain Tom.>

 

“I think we will be proceeding with “I have a Blade Ship” and moving forward from there. We also have cloaking technology and very good maps, and I am willing to bet the Andalites haven’t given Earth any ships?”

 

The Andalite shrugged a bit. <A few, they are mostly allowing them to train on the ships. It is a slow, careful process that we are still negotiating.>

 

“Not armed ships?” It surprised him that any had been given at all.

 

< Of course not. > The Andalite rolled his eyes. < The council has decided that it might be dangerous to give such a clever species weapons with which they might overthrow their Andalite overlords. However, now that your people have been exposed to those concepts, I think that they will shortly figure out how to replicate the process themselves. You already discovered Z-Space without our help. >

 

He snorted, thinking he might be able to like this Andalite. “Anyway, none of my crew will be surrendering to anyone. This is a human ship, but we left Earth before any of those laws were established, and we’ve worked out our own rules without any help from anyone. It works for us.”

 

< So Rachel has told me. Your navigator is a controller. >

 

“My chief navigator is, but his second is human. One of my medical officers is also a controller. They have more information than we do and are using it to help the crew.” He tapped his hands on the desk. “If needed, we will keep the Yeerks on the ship, but I am not letting them get abused because of laws they had no say in, based on a conflict that ended years ago. They stay Yeerks, and they stay with their hosts. That’s it.”

 

The Andalite nodded thoughtfully. < You captain a fascinating ship, Tom. Your family has produced quite a few interesting individuals. I did not think a former controller would have the distance to work so closely with Yeerks. >

 

“We all wanted to survive, if we hadn’t worked together, then we wouldn’t have.”

 

< I wonder if that is the only way to forge such peace. > The Andalite looked almost sad.

 

“I doubt it. But it’s the simplest way. Most of the controllers on the ship have families, kids. They and their partners have just as much right to stay together as any of the rest of us. They have risked just as much to get us back to this point.” He glanced back at Forest, but the boy was focused entirely on the game he was playing, eyes narrowed with concentration.

 

The Andalite nodded. < You will enjoy speaking to Cassie, I think. She is of similar mind to you. >

 

“People keep saying that, I just knew she was the girl that Jake had a crush on.” He waved his hand a bit dismissively.

 

The Andalite shook silently, as though with laughter. < She is that as well, or she was. Sadly, they have parted ways since the end of the war. Perhaps your return will heal the fractures between them. I know it will do much for Tobias. >

 

“That’s Rachel’s boyfriend.”

 

The Andalite nodded, another human gesture. <He is, and he has mourned for her as any might mourn their bondmate. I have spoken to them, to Marco and Tobias, though not to Jake. We found a recording in the ruins of the base you destroyed of you and Rachel.>

 

He lifted his hand to rub his face. “You can call them?”

 

< Z-Space communication is very easy, Marco has a receiver and I the proper contact code for it. Very similar to human telephones, except for speaking with visual as well. It is night in the area of Earth where they are now, or I would be forcing Rachel to call them. >

 

He snorted. “Not much force required.”

 

The Andalite shook again. < No, I do not think there would be. If you do not mind, the Intrepid will provide escort for the rest of your trip to Earth. Once the three days are up, I will send Melissa Chapman and Rachel back to the Odyssey, of course. >

 

He nodded. “That’s acceptable, though I would prefer not to have much travel between the ships. It makes me nervous.”

 

< To come so close to the end of your journey only to be thwarted by an accident? >

 

He sighed. “Something like that.”

 

< What did you think of the Iskoort? >

 

He snorted and sat back again. “They’re a bit clingy, aren’t they? It was a bit weird, but they were helpful. We got pitched out into unknown space without any knowledge of where we were to even get back to where we wanted to be. We’d probably still be wandering around out there if it weren’t for their help.”

 

It was strange relating fragments of their journey to the Andalite, but after awhile it settled into something resembling normalcy.  

 

***  
They dropped out of Z-Space in the shadow of Mars, sheltering behind the radiation as they came into range of the communication with Earth. 

 

Earth was a hazy dot, barely visible. More of a suggestion of a place than a real place.

 

Earth. Home. 

 

Jardeth took a deep breath, hand on the controls, staring at the view port intently. 

 

Will was sitting at the communication station, fingers just above the switch. "We're being hailed."

 

He nodded slightly to Will. "Answer."

 

The forward screen filled with a furious looking Andalite face, body tense. < Blade Ship, Identify yourself. >

 

"This is the Earth ship, Odyssey. I am its Captain, my name is Tom." He told the Andalite coolly. 

 

The Andalite scowled at him. < Lower your shields and prepare to be boarded. >

 

"No."

 

Confusion, immediate confusion.

 

"I want to speak with whoever is in command of Earth right now to negotiate our return." He narrowed his eyes slightly.

 

The Andalite straightened. < I speak for Earth. > 

 

"You don't. Earth speaks for Earth, and I want to talk to _humans."_ He stressed the last word. "Not you."

 

< If you do not - > 

 

Will cut the feed, sitting back in his chair. 

 

Forest looked up from the doodles he was doing on a small screen. "No." 

 

He chuckled, and the rest of the deck crew did as well. "Will, can you get us into the relay?"

 

"Already working on it." Will answered easily, typing quickly. 

 

He waited, one hand brushing against Forest's hair while they waited.

 

It took less than a half hour, with Will using extensive backdoor experience to get himself into the broadcast satellites. "Alright, Sir, ready when you are." 

 

"Is the roster ready to scroll?" He asked. 

 

Rachel leaned against the station he had Forest sitting at, watching the display, worrying her lip. "You sure about this?"

 

"Absolutely." He told her, grinning. "Put a face on it and they'll have to let us land."

 

"Hail the conquering heroes." Rachel said, sighing and straightening. 

 

"Ready sir." Will reported.

 

He bent down and picked up Forest, settling his cousin on his hip. "Look at the camera, buddy."

 

Forest did, staring at it intently. 

 

Rachel was standing ramrod straight behind him.

 

"Go." Will said.

 

"Hello, Earth. My name is Tom Berenson. If everything is working right, then you should be hearing from me in your language. I am currently on a ship in orbit around Mars. To my left you will see a scroll of those currently on board with me. As cliché as it sounds, we come in peace. We have people who need medical attention who have recently been retrieved from imprisonment. We want to land, we want to come home." He held up Forest a bit, and nodded to Rachel. "We've been too far from home too long. All of us." 

 

Will cut the broadcast, paused with his headset against his head, and brought up a feed to show reactions posting. "We made contact." 

 

He let Forest down, feeling a strange surge of addrinilan. "Everyone saw it?"

 

Will grinned. "Yeah. They all saw."

 

***  
  
It took a little over a week, with his tattered, ragtag fleet coming out of Z-Space around him.

 

A little over a week of arguing with Earth generals about the risks the Yeerks on his ship posed, how they would need to morph and not be Yeerks any longer.

 

He refused that flatly. 

 

A few of the smaller, more in need shuttles had been allowed to land in the interim, and Rachel had spent at least three hours on a call with her mother, father, sisters and three of the other Animorphs. 

 

His parents had called once, but the conversation had been stilted and uncertain. He thought they were happy, but the shadows in their eyes were deep and dark. They hadn't talked about Jake, or even answered any questions he had.

 

He doubted he was coming back to a happy situation. 

 

The rough agreement they had managed was that the Yeerks would stay on the ship for now, but that the humans and other aliens could be allowed off the ship.

 

"Ready for this?" Rachel asked him softly, staring at the doors.

 

"No. I think arguing with generals is easier." He snorted. "Thank God for Ax, I don't think that would have ended nearly as neatly if it weren't for the celebrated War-Prince throwing in with us." 

 

Melissa smiled, reaching to take his hand in hers, lacing their fingers together. 

 

Rachel snickered, then gave his shoulder a shove. "Alright, Captain. Let's do this."

 

He took a deep breath, secured his hold on Forest, and nodded for the doors to be opened.

 

The tide of _noise_ swept over them like a side, and a few people stepped back, clearly shaken by it as the bay doors eased open.

 

There were people all over the place, holding signs and flags, screaming and shaking things. They were held back by some rather under siege looking Andalites, but that seemed to barely keep them back.

 

He gave Melissa's hand a squeeze, and stepped forward, leading people down the ramp and onto Earth soil again.

 

"If you drop to your knees dramatically and kiss the ground, I'm annulling our cousin-hood." Rachel muttered out of the side of her mouth.

 

"I think you're more at risk for kissing the dirt." He returned, trying to keep smiling and not retreat back into the ship.

 

Forest had his face pressed against his shoulder, hiding from the noise and the light.

 

There was a shriek that made him jump, and then a ball of feathers dropped down practically on top of them, rippling and changing and launching itself at Rachel. 

 

She made a sound as the thing wrapped around her, staggering back with a sob of relief. "Tobias!" 

 

Melissa's hand went white knuckled around his as people moved slowly past them, merging with the crowd. 

 

He could hear other cries, and at some point Marco and Cassie joined Tobias and Rachel on the landing pad. He lost track of her then, amid the din of noise and laughter. 

 

His aunt charged through the press of people, with Sara and Jordan right behind her, and his uncles and Forest's mom following close behind. 

 

Not a lot was said, but a lot of it wouldn't have meant anything anyway. 

 

Words didn't matter. Being here mattered. 

 

***   
  
The sun had gone down hours ago, but the people had responded by building up bonfires and bringing out coolers full of food. 

 

Melissa had taken Forest back on the ship, though he knew his aunt had followed her inside. Brooke and Justin had been somewhere in that, he thought maybe they still were. 

 

Rachel had vanished, gone with the other Animorphs to talk about everything that had happened. He assumed, at least, he knew Rachel could take care of herself. 

 

He had found himself a perch on the hull of his ship, watching the fading fires and the still elated people. 

 

There was a crunching, popping noise behind him, and he turned slightly towards it. "Want a beer?"

 

There was silence for a moment, and then a tired, dry sounding laugh. "Did you do something to them?"

 

"Black ink in every bottle." He responded, deadpan, taking a sip from his own bottle. 

 

Jake made another little noise, bare feet coming slowly closer to him. The cooler shifted, and the bottles clinked against each other. There was a pop and hiss as Jake opened it, and then slowly eased himself down next to him, watching the fires.

 

They sat in silence for a while, watching as one by one the fires went out. 

 

"You made it back." Jake said, finally, soft.

 

"Yeah. Took us awhile. But we made it back." He took a swig from the bottle. 

 

"I-" Jake took a shaking breath. "I'm so, so sorry, Tom." 

 

"You did what you had to, Midget." He grinned in the darkness, turning to look at his little brother. 

 

"No." Jake disagreed. "I thought I did. I got....too much in my head." He scrubbed at his face with his hand. "Felt like I had to stop him. Stop him from getting away. I should have just....followed through."

 

"Hindsight is useful, sometimes. It keeps us from making mistakes again. Repeating ourselves." He bumped Jake with his elbow, and watched as his brother shuddered at the contact. "But as much as it sucked, we were on different sides then. I wasn't your brother, and you weren't mine. You did what you had to, what was smart to do. God, Jake, if you knew how many times I almost killed you or got you infested..."

 

"Not you." Jake said softly, slumping forward over his knee. "It was never you." 

 

"That didn't make me any less of a threat that you had to deal with, Jake." He told his brother gently. 

 

"I should have figured out how to free you sooner." Jake whispered.

 

"Then it would have been some other shumuck in the same position, Jake. There's never going to be a perfect fix, no matter how hard you look back. We both made it, Rachel too. That's luckier than most."

 

"I almost killed you." Jake said, fingertips loose on the bottle in his hand. "I almost had Rachel kill you - our cousin." 

 

He nodded, resting his elbow on his knee. "You had every reason to believe that Iniss was a threat to Earth, and you had every reason to treat that threat to earth as a certainty if you didn't neutralize him. It sucks that you ended up in that position, Jake. Really. Rachel and I talked a lot about that, how hard it was when the lines kept moving as to who was on _your_ side. But as 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers' as it was, none of us were polite enough to grow mustaches to let you know that we were the bad guys."

 

Jake woofed a weak laugh against his knee. 

 

He shifted and put an arm around his brother's shoulders. "I never held it against you."

 

"Never?" Jake asked quietly. 

 

"I was proud of you." He told his brother, grinning. "Pissed Iniss off, pissed everyone off, fought a six man war against and empire and damn if you didn't win. Why wouldn't I be proud of you? The odds were impossible, and you made it happen."

 

"I started this to save you." Jake said, quietly. "I didn't want to fight in a war."

 

He rubbed Jake's shoulder gently. "Well, like Grandpa G said. We never want to be at war, but when it happens, the people that make a difference are the ones that don't hide."

 

"Yeah." Jake whispered, looking down at the fires.

 

"Sometimes they're not the ones who get statues, either. But Marco said you guys got one." He teased tentatively. 

 

Jake snorted. "It looks terrible. They put it in central park. It sucks. Makes me glad I can do falcon rather than public transit." 

 

"Hey, I didn't get a statue, don't complain." 

 

"You got a book though. Or at least part of one." Jake admitted, toying with the bottle. 

 

"A book huh? Do I look good?"

 

"It-" Jake looked down. "I wrote your part of it. Uh...."

 

He studied his brother, raising an eyebrow. 

 

"It was for kids and teens who were formally infested. Talking about infestation stories, part of an anti-suicide push. How you got involved in the Sharing. A lot of people wrote them. I thought...maybe it would help." Jake mumbled the last part, looking embarrassed. "You can probably rewrite it better."

 

"Did it?" He asked, curious.

 

"Did it what?" Jake asked, clearly caught off guard. 

 

"Help?"

 

Jake rubbed the back of his neck. "I think so."

 

"Then I'm glad you did it." He tightened the arm in a one armed hug. 

 

Jake leaned into him, shuddering a bit. "Mom and Dad didn't come."

 

"Nah, aunt Nancy said they don't do crowds so well." He didn't either, but that was neither here nor there. "I'm taking Lissa to see her dad, and we're going to swing by after to see them. Once Ember gets cleared to be out and about." 

 

Jake nodded. "Ember? Lissa?"

 

"Melissa Chapman, and her son." He explained. "Hear her dad is locked up, or at least that's what they told us in the brief." 

 

Jake opened his mouth, seemed to consider it, and then narrowed his eyes. "You and her a thing?"

 

"We're friends." He poked Jake in the stomach. "You and Cassie a thing?"

 

Jake's eyes went dark, looking away. "We....not right now." 

 

"How did you manage to fumble that?" He teased.

 

"She moved on, I'm still having trouble with it." Jake sighed, rubbing his face. 

 

***  
  
It was late by the time he led Jake back through the access port he had used to get to the hull. 

 

The ship was mostly quiet, it was late by earth time and early by their internal clocks. 

 

"You know I've been on this ship before." Jake commented as he followed him. "You painted."

 

"I didn't. The Hork-Bajir and the Gedd did. Some of the humans too." He shrugged. "We didn't have a bunch of therapists to help us handle the people who'd just gotten their bodies and minds back, so we had to improvise a lot."

 

"I like it. It looks much better. Kinda dig the English signs, too." Jake had his arms crossed, peering around. 

 

His brother was scruffy under the dim light, face unshaven and hair a bit shaggy. He was pale, too, dark circles under his eyes. 

 

"We tried to make it feel like home." He swung the last two beers by his side, nodding down one of the halls. "I can give you the tour tomorrow. I need something to eat before I sleep. Hungry?"

 

Jake hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly. "It's weird to think of it as a ....home?"

 

He nodded and grinned slightly. "We made do. You know, humans are pretty adaptive." 

 

"I just can't imagine." Jake blew out an exhausted breath, falling into step behind him. "Ax says that humans will settle wherever you put them, I guess he's right."

 

He nodded easily, accepting that. "I wasn't here for all of the research." 

 

Jake snorted. "Cassie was always more interested in it than I was." 

 

The cafeteria was noisy, he frowned, checking his watch reflexively. 

 

But really, he couldn't blame them for wanting to party. They were home, he doubted anyone had slept since they came into orbit. 

 

But he wasn't expecting Rachel and the other Animorphs to have taken over one of the tables with enough ice-cream to make everyone sick.

 

"Tom!" Rachel brightened, hopping to her feet. "Come have some!"

 

Jake was hiding behind him.

 

He stepped forward, putting the beers on the table. "What is all of this?"

 

"Rachel was complaining about the replicator and fake food." Melissa explained, taking the spoon away from Ember when he grabbed for it. "Marco responded by buying all of the ice cream he could." She made a gesture to include the table.

 

"I hope you have a diabetes check for the entire crew tomorrow." He told her, amused.

 

Rachel made a rude noise, bouncing past him to throw her arms around Jake. 

 

His brother rocked a bit before he hugged her back, burying his face in her hair. 

 

They were talking, soft, urgent, but Rachel eventually pulled away with a laugh, grabbing his hand and dragging him to the table to make some truly horrifying concoction with enough whipped cream that they could use it for landing foam. 

 

"Eat, Jake." She ordered, then started dishing up another for him. "Eat, Tom."

 

He caught Jake's eye for half a second, then rolled his eyes at their cousin. "If I get sick on this."

 

"I'm sure Melissa can doctor you." Rachel replied, shoving the ice cream at him. "Eat."

 

So he did. 

***  
Melissa was half dozing against his shoulder, and Ember was curled up between them, fast asleep. 

 

He was toying with the dregs of his ice cream, feeling a bit like an invader in an otherwise very personal conversation. The Animorphs had clearly missed each other, and this being back together was stripping away the years and trials that hung between them. 

 

Melissa sighed softly, nuzzling into his shoulder, and he caught Marco watching them.

 

"So. Tom. What are you going to do after this? Sit around and eat, ride the hero train?" 

 

He poked at the ice cream soup with his spoon. "The hero gig isn't really my thing. Besides, there's stuff out there that still needs to be done." 

 

Rachel swirled her spoon in her bowl. "That big chain of boats we brought back was just one station." She told the others, tracing a fingertip on Tobias' arm. "We couldn't just leave them to float home on their own. But there are still a lot of humans out there."

 

"Close to a million taken off Earth, best estimate." Cassie said quietly. "Not to mention whatever else the empire swept up." 

 

"A lot." Rachel said, stabbing at her bowl on the last word for emphasis. "But only the humans were allowed to leave, I think all of the aliens will be leaving with us when we go back out." 

 

"So you're leaving again." Jake said, sounding uncertain.

 

He nodded. "I can't leave those people out there suffering when I can still do something about it." He said softly. 

 

"Sounds like something right up your alley, Rachel." Marco said, after a long pause. "Figure bird boy is going with you." He nodded to Tobias.

 

Rachel's hand closed around his arm. "You could come too, you know." She glanced at him as she said it, uncertain.

 

He was looking at Jake, who wasn't looking up. "You could. You all could. I could use a few more morphers on board."

 

Marco scoffed, but he seemed to be thinking about it. 

 

Cassie was toying with a bracelet, chewing on her lip and staring off into the middle distance. 

 

Ax hand shifted, drumming his fingers against the table, and looked more than a little regretful. "I cannot. I am needed where I am, but I will always be happy to provide some assistance for you, Captain." 

 

Tobias hadn't looked away from Rachel, so he doubted he even needed to ask on that account. 

 

But Jake still wasn't looking at him. 

 

He reached out with his foot and kicked him in the leg. "What do you say, Spock?" 

 

Jake drew a breath, cheeks flushing. "I-Hey. You are not Captain Kirk. I'm the better looking one." 

 

He laughed, and the tension in the room popped. 

 

It might not be back to what it was, but it was a start, and maybe, for now, that was enough. 

 

                                                                          


**Author's Note:**

> So I started writing this two years ago because someone requested a drabble of Tom and Rachel eating ice cream together. For some reason, this entire giant mess was spawned out of that. I've decided to post it, even though it is not betaed in any way shape or form and I hope you enjoyed!


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